Stiftskirche St. Maternian et St. Nicolai Bücken

According to legend, some monks who were commissioned to determine the location of a new church in the Hoya region in 1050 asked for a sign from God. They wanted to build the church where the donkey they had brought with them would bend down and settle. But when the animal wanted to settle down in the "Wüsteney", they moved it on until it bent down at the place where the collegiate church stands today - in the middle of the parish of Bücken. The "Cathedral of the Hoyaer Land" with its impressive double-tower façade is home to magnificent art treasures. These include the triumphal cross from 1230 and the richly illustrated stained glass windows, which also date back to the 13th century.

The "Bücker Dom" has had an eventful history. Built in 1050, the stone building replaced an old wooden church in the mission center founded by Bishop Rimbert of Bremen in 882. The collegiate church was extended in several stages until 1350. The secularization of the monastery after the Reformation led to structural decline, before Adalbert Hotzen carried out a thorough restoration between 1863 and 1867. Named after St. Maternian and later St. Nicholas, whose lives are depicted in the medieval windows, the collegiate church is regarded in art history as one of the most important sacred buildings in the Middle Weser region. It is around 50 m long, 25 m wide and the towers are a good 52 m high. The triumphal cross (1230), the choir stalls (1340) and the altar (1510) stand out among the many remarkable artistic and cultural treasures of the "cathedral". Since 2000, a Stations of the Cross, created by Pablo Hirndorf from weathered copper sheets from the old church tower, has adorned the side walls.