The Willibrordi Cathedral is Wesel's city church, where the Protestant community celebrates services. A variety of cultural events are also held in the cathedral.
The tower of the Willibrordi Cathedral on the Großer Markt in the heart of Wesel's old town can be seen from afar. The imposing church was built in its current appearance between 1501 and 1540 as a late Gothic basilica with five naves. The tower was erected in 1477 and 1478.
Worth seeing
On a tour of the cathedral, the large west window in the tower, colorfully designed by Professor Vinzent Pieper, deserves special attention. The new organ was installed in the high choir and completed in the fall of 2000, initially with 51 (later 56) stops. The organ was built by Marcussen & Sohn, Aabenraa, Denmark. The exterior design was based on a design by Ralph Schweitzer, Bonn. Professor Karl Straube was organist at Willibrordi Cathedral from 1897 to 1902.
The Heresbach Chapel is separated by wrought-iron grilles by Kurt-Wolf von Borries, Cologne. The chapel features a suspended ribbed vault, a highlight of late Gothic stonemasonry in Germany, which was reconstructed by the Dombauhütte. A memorial stone here commemorates the humanist Konrad Heresbach (1496 - 1576), who was buried in the chapel. A second outstanding vault can be discovered in the Alyschläger Chapel next to the north portal.
There are around 50 gravestones in Willibrordi Cathedral, which are now attached to the walls. They are a reminder that the interior was also a burial ground for centuries: Old Testament (north portal), New Testament (south portal), Wesel church seal (west portal) were created by the Wesel sculptor Eva Brinkman.
The carillon with changing pieces of music sounds daily, one minute before 10 am, 12 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm.
History of the cathedral
A small church stood on the same site as early as 800 AD. It was renovated and rebuilt several times. In earlier times, it was under the control of the Echternach monastery, where the Frisian missionary Willibrord (died 739) is buried. Before the Reformation, 38 altars of the brotherhoods and guilds stood in the church. The Hanseatic town of Wesel was the capital of the Duchy of Cleves. The town joined the Reformation in 1540.
From 1883 to 1896, the church was completely renovated with the help of the Prussian ruling dynasty. It was only then that the planned ambulatory was completed. The statues of the Great Elector and Kaiser Wilhelm I above the entrance portals commemorate this period.
Reconstruction
The Willibrordi Cathedral was also considerably destroyed by the Allied bombing raids in 1945. Reconstruction began in 1947 on behalf of the parish by the “Dombauverein”. This was carried out by the cathedral's own construction company using the late medieval design. The reconstruction was completed in 1994 with the installation of the choir rider.
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