If one takes into account its two onion-domed towers, this giant late-Gothic building, built from 1468 - 1488, is nearly as tall (98.5m) as it is long (109m). Munich's defining landmark replaced a smaller church on the same site, but some of its decorations and chapels were incorporated into the new structure. The green cupolas were only added in 1525 after the towers served a brief spell as platforms for cannons. Brick, instead of stone, was used in constructing the building for practical reasons - it was cheaper. Today the headstones of prominent citizens from the old church cemetery adorn the exterior walls of Our Lady and the interior is graced by the inspiring tomb of Ludwig the Bavarian (1290-1322) guarded on all sides by knights and noblemen. During WWII the rear of the church was damaged badly, and rebuilt in the 1950s. Climb the (original) towers for a great view of the centre.
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