The history of Stuttgart's Stiftskirche, or Collegiate Church, spans back to the 10th or 11th century. Evidence discovered in the altar area points towards a presence on the site from the early Romanesque period. A Romanesque village church was constructed on the same site in around 1175. The original church continued to evolve, with new extensions added, and other sections demolished and increased in size. A particularly striking feature of the church, and one of Stuttgart's best known landmarks, are its two contrasting towers.Bomb attacks on Stuttgart in 1944 all but destroyed the Collegiate Church. Only the towers and the North Wall survived unscathed. During the fifties, the church was rebuilt in the style of the times. The newly created space with its wooden wagon ceiling and absence of columns affords clear visual access to the altar and chancel from every seat in the congregation.