The imposing Cathedral of St. Mary, St. Liborius and St. Kilian is the most important church in Paderborn.

The cathedral is essentially a work of the 13th century. It presents itself as a three-nave hall church with two transepts and a mighty Romanesque tower. Additions and alterations in later times, especially the baroqueization in the 17th century, have not significantly changed the overall impression of the cathedral. The mighty west tower from the 11th century is 92 meters high. The crypt - one of the largest in Germany at 32 meters long - contains the remains of St. Liborius, the patron saint of the city and the diocese. From the crypt, you can access the newly created bishop's crypt.

On the north side in the inner courtyard of the cathedral cloister (also known as the "Pürting" in Paderborn), you can find the famous 16th-century three-rabbit window, whose tracery is made up of the aforementioned three rodents, which the artist cleverly grouped together so that they only have three ears and yet each rabbit has two spoons ("The rabbit and the spoon three, and yet each rabbit has two"). The three-rabbit window is an old landmark of Paderborn and a lucky charm that every craftsman wandering through Paderborn must have seen.

Special sights: Paradise portal (before 1240), Pietà (around 1380), Gothic high altar (late 15th century), double Madonna (around 1480), monumental tomb of Prince-Bishop Dietrich IV von Fürstenberg (+ 1618), Régence-style pulpit (1736).

Openings

A visit inside the cathedral is possible daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except during church services.

General Information

Parking Available

Payment Options

Entrance Free

Directions & Parking facilities

By car:
Take the A 33 freeway to the Pad.-Zentrum or Pad.-Schloß Neuhaus exit; then head towards Paderborn city center. Stay on the inner ring road (Innenstadtring) in the direction of PaderHalle or Maspernplatz (if necessary, follow the parking guidance system). Turn into Maspernplatz via Hathumarstraße.
Parking:
Parking for cars is available at Maspernplatz on the edge of Paderborn city center (destination address for the navigation system: Heiersmauer 45, 33098 Paderborn). There are usually plenty of parking spaces there. Tip: Buy a reasonably priced day ticket!
An alternative is the Neuhäuser Tor parking garage, which you will pass on the way to Maspernplatz as described above.
Information on other parking options in the city center and tariffs: www.asp-paderborn.de.
Public transportation:
Take the city bus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 (PaderSprinter) to the "Rathausplatz" stop.
Further information on how to get there by city bus is available at www.padersprinter.de or by telephone on 05251 6997222.

Author

Karl Heinz Schäfer

Organization

Tourist Information Paderborn / Verkehrsverein Paderborn e.V.

Accomodations

Place of interest

Dom St. Maria, St. Liborius und St. Kilian Paderborn

Good to know

Nearby

Getting there