Fritzlar - the cradle of Christianity in Germany

A small, ancient city in central Germany. It is located on the river Eder and has a rich history dating back to the early Middle Ages. The city was founded in the 8th century and played an important role in the Christianization of Germany. Here in 723, St. Boniface cut down the sacred oak tree of the god Thor, which came to symbolize the Christian conversion of the Germans.

Does that sound like nonsense? I thought so too at first, but it turns out to be an actual historical fact. St. Boniface (circa 675-754) was a Christian missionary of Anglo-Saxon origin who came to Germany to convert the local Germanic tribes to Christianity. At the time they practiced paganism, including the cult of Scandinavian and Germanic gods - Odin, Thor, Freya and others.

In the Fritzlar area there was a large tree, a sacred oak dedicated to Thor, the god of thunder. The local tribes believed that the oak tree had divine power, and if it was cut down, it would bring the wrath of the gods - lightning, death and disasters.

Boniface publicly cut down an oak tree to prove that the pagan gods were false and no one would be punished for it. When nothing terrible happened after the tree was cut down, people saw it as “a sign of the power of the Christian God.” This became a powerful symbol of the beginning of the conversion of the Germans to Christianity - through actions, not just words. Since then, Fritzlar has been considered one of the cradles of Christian Germany.

The city's main attraction is the Imperial Cathedral of St. Peter (Dom St. Peter), built in Romanesque style in the XI-XIII centuries. One of the most important cathedrals in the region, it served as a spiritual and political center. See the monument in front of the cathedral? That's Boniface, on the site of a felled oak tree.


Near the cathedral there is another extremely interesting building that has been used as a town hall since 1109, which means it is one of the oldest town halls in Germany. On the facade of the building you can see a stone relief of St. Martin, the patron saint of the city, dating back to 1441.




In addition to the Town Hall, the town has preserved many medieval buildings from the 13th to 17th centuries, including castle walls, towers and half-timbered houses.














The town is still surrounded by partially preserved fortification walls about 2.5 kilometers long. More than a dozen towers have been preserved, including the Grauer Turm, one of the highest surviving medieval defense towers in Germany.






Get there: lots of parking options around the old town, we parked near the playground 51.132278, 9.269833. Fritzlar train station is 1 km from the old town.