Erfurt Cathedral

The Gloriosa ('Gloriosa' meaning 'Glorious') is the largest medieval free-swinging bell in the world, cast in 1497 by the master bellfounder Geert van Wou of Kampen. It weighs approximately 11,450 pounds (5,200 kg) and is tuned to the note A. It still rings on major feast days in the cathedral.

Erfurt Cathedral (officially the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary, or Dom St. Marien) is famous for its Gloriosa bell, its high Gothic choir, and the historic Collegium Maius where Martin Luther studied. The cathedral sits on Cathedral Hill (Domberg) next to St. Severus Church. Its interior has medieval glass and a 13th-century Wolfram lamp.

While Martin Luther is more famously associated with the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt (where he lived as a monk), he was ordained as a priest at Erfurt Cathedral in 1507. The cathedral remains part of the broader 'LutherSites' itinerary in Erfurt. Luther later disputed church doctrine nearby at the University of Erfurt.

Erfurt Cathedral is located on Domplatz (Cathedral Square) in Erfurt, the capital of the state of Thuringia (Thüringen) in central Germany. It is reached by climbing 70 steps from the town center. Together with the adjacent Severikirche, it dominates the city's skyline.