No matter from which direction you come to Xanten, it is the cathedral that you can see from a great distance. This building rises like a king over the center of the city: St. Viktor Cathedral.

The cathedral is a major attraction in the city and is visited by numerous people.

The construction of the cathedral began around 1128 and continued until 1225, when the cathedral building association dissolved.

Friedrich von Hochstaden, provost of Xanten and brother of the Archbishop of Cologne, laid the foundation stone of today’s cathedral in 1263. In the crypt you will find the presumed grave of the ancient martyr Viktor and his companion. In 1966 the crypt was expanded in memory of the Christian resistance fighters in the 3rd Reich.