Naumburg Cathedral

The origins of the cathedral date back to the early 11th century. Around 1000, Margrave Ekkehard I of Meissen founded Naumburg Castle. His sons Hermann and Ekkehard II soon after endowed a church dedicated to St. Mary. In 1028, the episcopal see was moved from Zeitz to Naumburg, and shortly thereafter, around 1029, construction began on the first early Romanesque cathedral, consecrated before 1044. Around 1210, under Bishop Engelhard, a late Romanesque new construction began, which was gradually continued westward and largely completed by 1242. The cathedral underwent a significant expansion around 1250 with the construction of the early Gothic west choir, attributed to the Naumburg Master. After the Reformation, the first Protestant bishop was appointed in 1542, and with the death of the last bishop in 1564, the cathedral lost its function as an episcopal see but remained a parish church. Around 1330, the late Romanesque apse was replaced by a High Gothic choir.

Naumburg Cathedral is located in Naumburg (Saale) in the Burgenlandkreis district, a region in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It stands at an elevation of approximately 133 m above sea level.

Visitors can explore the church today and experience its impressive architecture and artworks, including the world-renowned founder figures in the west choir. The cathedral is managed by the United Cathedral Foundations of Merseburg, Naumburg, and the Collegiate Church of Zeitz.

• Schlößchen am Markt (castle), approx. 0.5 km away
• Residenz Naumburg (castle), approx. 0.5 km away
• Rittergut Großjena (manor house and estate), approx. 4.0 km away
• Rittergut Eulau (manor house and estate), approx. 4.5 km away