Basilika Vierzehnheiligen in Bad Staffelstein

You're standing at the Basilica of Vierzehnheiligen, on a hillside above the valley of the river Main, between Bad Staffelstein and Lichtenfels. Start with the front. Two tall towers, and between them a graceful centre section that curves out towards you. It's counted among the most impressive façades of the whole Baroque era, and you can spot it from miles away. Now look across the valley. That's Schloss Banz, a former abbey. Together the two are called the Golden Gate, the doorway to old Franconian towns like Coburg and Bayreuth.