The election chapel
The room where the prince-electors met to choose the emperor — the heart of the cathedral's historic standing.
rupp.de — CC BY-SA 3.0 · rupp.de — CC BY-SA 3.0 · H. Worms — Public domain · DXR — CC BY-SA 4.0
No, despite being called a Dom in German, a word normally used for cathedrals. Frankfurt is not a diocesan seat; the name comes from its historic role in electing and crowning emperors, not from a bishop.
Yes if you are fit enough: it is the best place in the old town to see the contrast between old houses and glass towers. But the stair is narrow, long and without a lift, and it carries traffic both ways, so expect to wait a little. Anyone who would rather not climb can enjoy the church and the square for nothing.
Half an hour for the church alone, and about an hour and a quarter with the tower and the square. It stands minutes from Römerberg and the Eiserner Steg, so all three fit into one walk.
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Frankfurt Cathedral is a red Gothic church in the middle of the old town, its tall tower defining the historic skyline. Its formal name is St Bartholomew's, and it is called the Imperial Cathedral for a solid historical reason: Holy Roman Emperors were elected here from 1356, and crowned here between 1562 and 1792. Entry to the church is free. Climbing the tower means a long stair of about three hundred and thirty steps for a small charge, ending at a view that puts the old town and the modern banking towers in a single frame.
The room where the prince-electors met to choose the emperor — the heart of the cathedral's historic standing.
A view holding the old town roofs and the banking towers together — the best picture of Frankfurt's contrast.
Domplatz, with excavated Roman and Carolingian remains exposed below street level.
Domplatz 1, 60311 Frankfurt