The main attraction of the city, which has become its symbol - the imperial cathedral. Due to the situation in an elevated location and monumental dimensions (length 134 meters, width 33 meters) silhouette of the cathedral with four towers and two domes visible from afar. This is the largest monument of Romanesque architecture on German soil in 1981 was included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Construction of the cathedral began around 1025, during the reign of Conrad II. The cathedral was consecrated in 1061. Already in 1041 he was consecrated the crypt, which served as the burial place of emperors and kings for three hundred years. When Henry IV were added vaulted ceilings, the tower and the apse.

For thousands of years the cathedral has repeatedly restored and supplemented, changed its appearance. The biggest disaster in the history of the cathedral took place in 1689, when the soldiers of the French King Louis XIV destroyed it, leaving almost nothing but walls, and are defiled in the cathedral burial. In the years 1772-1784 the cathedral was renovated and expanded lobby and facade, but soon again seized and desecrated by the French. In 1846-1853 he held a full restoration and decoration of the magnificent frescoes of the means of Bavarian King Ludwig I.