It is hard to imagine visiting Germany or Cologne without stepping inside Cologne Cathedral.
This huge building and the Domplatte, the large empty area in front of the cathedral, is the setting for all of the major events in the city. Every march, parade or demonstration seems to flood over this spot. The most famous of which is the Kölner Carnival, an irreverent parade full of political comment and satire.
With this in mind, the Domplatte is also home to the famous Christmas market which attracts visitors from far afield in the four weeks of advent before Christmas.
The inside of the building fills you with wonder at the sheer scale of the gothic vaults as well as the stain glass and, of course, the Shrine of The Three Kings, the wise men that visited the infant Jesus at his birth.
Foto: Reinhard Matz & Axel Schenk
Copyright: Hohe Domkirche zu Köln, Dombauhütte Foto: Reinhard Matz & Axel Schenk
Copyright: Hohe Domkirche zu Köln, Dombauhütt
In 1164, Frederick Barbarossa gave the Bishop of Cologne, the relics of the three Kings, also known as the three wise men. These relics attracted pilgrims from all over the Christian world to Cologne. As the fame of the relics and Cologne grew, it was felt the relics needed a fitting home. The relics were placed in a gold sarcophagus and It was decided that a cathedral would be built in the new Gothic style. Accordingly, in 1248, Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, laid the foundation stone for the Cathedral.
The design of the Cathedral is based on the floor plan of Amiens Cathedral. The building takes the form of a cross with two aisles on either side to help support the high central roof.
The first stage, the eastern arm, was finished in 1322.
It often comes as a surprise to the people on my tours that the cathedral was built in stages. This was typical of the time. As each stage was finished a temporary wall was built at the end to allow people to use the finished sections while work continued on the rest of the building.
In the case of Cologne Cathedral, this system allowed the cathedral to be used in its unfinished state for over 400 years after the work stopped officially in 1473. Historians now believe that work probably continued sporadically after this date until around 1520. The photo below shows the cathedral in 1856 with a 15th century crane still in place on the south tower.
Little explanation is given as to why building stopped at this time but city and church finances are the likely explanation. At the time, the Catholic church was in difficult financial straights and many orders had turned, amongst other things, to the sale of indulgences to finance themselves. When in 1505, Pope Julius II, decided to build St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and finance its building with the sale of indulgences, the money flowed from the Holy Roman Empire towards Rome and not to Cologne and its cathedral.
It is fair to say that in the following 400 years, the city and church had other issues to worry about. At the time the building was halted, Cologne was a Free Imperial City. The church had finance problems and in Germany the reformation was just starting as in 1517, Martin Luther publishes his ninety-five thesis. While when building recommenced 400 years later, Cologne cathedral was in a new world, part of a Prussia moving towards unification as a German nation.
Depending on which story you believe, the plans were found in the archives in the lead up to 1842, or the existing plans from the 13th century, were used by the architect Ernst Fredrich Zwirner in developing plans to complete the cathedral. But where was the money to come from?
In 1842, the Central-Dombauverein loosely translated, the Cathedral Building Association, was founded and set about raising the funds to complete the building. They collected two thirds of the estimated one billion Euro in today’s money, needed to finish the construction from public donations. The last third was paid by the Prussian state of the time.
On August the 14th 1880, with Kaiser Wilhelm, the first in attendance, the nation celebrated the completion of the cathedral after 632 years. On that day and for four more years, Cologne Cathedral was the tallest building in the world at 157.38 meters or 516.3 feet.
World War II
Cologne was the largest German city to be taken by US forces during the second world war and on the 6th March 1945, fighting took place in an area west of the cathedral. Due to the city’s size and the impending defeat of the German army, the event attracted a lot of interest from press and film crews traveling with the US forces and so there is a rich store of images and footage of the battle for Cologne.
During the course of the war, the cathedral was damaged by around fifteen hits through bombs dropped by the Allied aircraft.
My Tips
For most tourists, Cologne and its cathedral are a stop of a few hours. With this in mind, what should you do while you are there?
I would step inside the cathedral and wonder at the building itself. While you walk its length towards the altar, admire the stain glass windows. Throughout the building there are examples from different eras. Near the main entrance, you will find modern stain glass windows as well as those finished in 1910. Towards the older parts of the cathedral, older forms of stain glass from around 1500, can be found, particularly in the sections nearer the altar. Once at the altar, take a look at the jewel encrusted shrine of the Three Kings itself. You can get different views of the shrine by walking around the altar on either side.
Foto: Reinhard Matz & Axel Schenk
Copyright: Hohe Domkirche zu Köln, Dombauhütte
If you have time and interest in the Roman history of Cologne, beside the cathedral is the Romano-Germanic Museum. The museum, built over a former Roman villa, houses a large collection of Roman artifacts from Cologne and the surrounding area. The museum is also home to one the largest collections of locally produced Roman glass that I have ever seen.
For more info see https://museenkoeln.de/portal/Romano-Germanic-Museum
Foto: Römisch-Germanisches Museum / Axel Thünker, DGPh
For those of you that want to just see the cathedral, relax, have a cup of coffee, a nice piece of pastry and a great view of the cathedral, I can recommend the terrace of Cafe Reichard. The Café is situated opposite the main entrance of the cathedral and is easy to find. If you do choose to go there, don’t miss the opportunity to pick your own piece of cake from the opulent display inside before sitting at a table and being served.
For more info see http://www.cafe-reichard.de/index.html
Wm File says
Man! I love your insightful understanding of history and comments. Reminds me of your great tour leadership.. so much more than many other guides. Miss your laugh, too!
Marguerite Fisher says
Wow Pieter, loved the historical detail. We were in Cologne many years ago but did not visit this beautiful cathedral. Another reason for another trip, one day.