St Lambert’s Basilica

St Lambert is held in high esteem by the people of Düsseldorf: not only is the Catholic church a landmark of the historic old town, but its patron saint’s day also provides the spiritual backdrop to the popular ‘Largest Fair on the Rhine’. The three-aisled hall church, built in the Lower Rhineland Brick Gothic style, was founded as early as 1288, the year the town was granted its charter. Its current appearance is the result of a fire in 1815, which destroyed the spire. During the reconstruction, wood that was probably too fresh and damp was used, causing the roof to twist. According to legend, however, it was the devil who twisted the church tower when he tried to tear the church down. The new west portal, dating from the 1950s, is the work of the sculptor Ewald Mataré. St Lambertus was awarded the honourable title of ‘Basilica minor’ in July 1974.