Cologne Cathedral

View of Cologne city from opposite side of Rhine river
with the Hohenzollern railway bridge to the left, the
Cologne cathedral is located at the center and the
musical dome at right with the main train station behind.
Photo from: spacejulien, Creative Commons

Cologne Cathedral is the main home of the Cologne Archbishop and it is an important testimonial to Christianity. The Cologne Cathedral was built in the Gothic style and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Peter. It is also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral is rich for its architecture and was described by UNESCO as an “exceptional work of human creative genius”.

The present cathedral was built on the site of a Roman temple from the 4th century that is known as the “old cathedral”. The “old cathedral” was completed in the year 818 and in the year 1248 it was burnt. On August 15th, that same year, the construction of the present cathedral began. Since then, several structures were added during different centuries. The eastern section of the cathedral was completed in the year 1322 under the supervision of Master Gerhard. In the 14th century the construction of the towers began under the supervision of Master Michael, but the work was halted and the south tower was incomplete until finally, in the 18th century, the towers were completed and bells were added to them.

The Cologne Cathedral stands at a height of 157.25 meters high and is Germany’s second largest and worlds third largest structure. In the 13th century the construction of the cathedral began, and took about 632 years to complete. The cathedral is about 144 meters long and the towers are about 157 meters high and 86 meters broad.

Architecture

The cathedral was built in the French Gothic Style. The windows are high, and are made of glass. The carvings on the choir and the huge stone statue of St Christopher, at the entrance of the cathedral are done in the French style.

Attractions

The architecture of the cathedral was the main attraction. The twelve bells of the cathedral, some of which are from the medieval age, are also a highlight here.

Interesting facts

It is said that the cathedral contains the bones and clothes of the Three Wise Man (the three kings from the East, who visited Jesus Christ following his birth). During the World War II the cathedral was hit by fourteen bombs, but the cathedral was not destroyed, every one believed that it was a miracle from God. In the present day, the Cathedral s a major pilgrimage place and millions of people visit the cathedral from all over the world.

The cathedral opens at 6.00 am in the morning and closes at 7.30pm in the evening, there is generally no entrance fee, but a special admission fee of 4 Euros is collected for the treasury and tower ascent sections.

Traveling to Cologne Cathedral

A number of flight services are available from the Cologne Boon Airport. Frequent train services are available from the Cologne railway station. In addition, a tram, cars and public bus services are also available.