Overview
- The Domkapitel will begin charging most visitors €12 to enter the cathedral interior from 1 July after years of budget shortfalls and drained reserves.
- Officials set up an online ticket portal on 15 June, trained staff and created separate entrances so the west portal will be paid access and the north portal will remain free for prayer.
- Exemptions include worshippers and people who want to pray, children up to 13, people with severe disabilities, members of the Zentral‑Dombau‑Verein, and specific free days announced by the chapter.
- Church leaders acknowledge enforcement challenges and say the prayer exemption could be misused, and they expect a period of adjustment as visitor flows and procedures settle.
- The decision has prompted public debate and prompted other dioceses to review the idea, with several in Rheinland‑Pfalz saying they currently do not plan to adopt general entry fees.