Essen - Minster

In the Burgplatz in Essen stands the Minster (R.C.), one of Germany's oldest churches (ninth-14th C.). The most notable features of the interior are a seven-branched bronze candelabrum (c. 1000) and the "Golden Madonna" (c. 1000; the oldest figure of the Virgin in the round in western Europe). The rich church treasury can be seen in the Bishop's Palace (1955-56).