Essen Minster
Essener Münster
A church founded as a noble abbey in the 9th century, home to the Golden Madonna, the world's oldest surviving full-length statue of the Virgin Mary.
Essen grew up around this noble women's abbey, founded in 852. The minster keeps its Ottonian western choir and seven-armed candelabrum. Its most important treasure is the Golden Madonna, made around 980 and believed to be the oldest surviving full-length statue of the Virgin Mary in the world. The treasury displays precious Ottonian crosses and gold objects, masterpieces of medieval European goldsmithing. The minster sits in the city centre's pedestrian zone. Entry to the church is free; the treasury charges admission.
Opening hours
Church approx. 6:30 AM–6:30 PM; treasury closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Old Synagogue (Essen)
- Museum Folkwang
- Grugapark
- Ruhr Museum
- Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
- Margarethenhöhe
- Red Dot Design Museum
- Villa Hügel