The Heiliges Grab is a close replica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as it looked in the Middle Ages during the time of the Crusades. Among the Crusaders was local boy Georg Emmerich, who made the trip primarily in atonement for knocking up the neighbour's daughter. Absolved from his sins, he returned, became the town mayor and, in 1480, instigated the construction of the Heiliges Grab.
It is part of a larger ensemble that also includes a double chapel and a salvation house, and marks the final stop in the Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross) pilgrimage path, which starts at the west portal of the Peterskirche and runs via Nikolaistrasse, Bogstrasse and Steinweg.
