Cologne Cathedral is located in the heart of this city, in the immediate vicinity of the main railway station. The two pointed spires of the cathedral have already become a kind of "business card" of Cologne. The cathedral itself, with a maximum height of 157 metres, is the third tallest religious building in the world. Its construction, which began in 1248, dragged on for several centuries - the cathedral was officially completed in 1880, but according to legend, its construction will never end, otherwise the devil promised the end of the world will happen.
Cologne Cathedral is consecrated in honour of St. Peter and is considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. In the very centre of its nave is the main shrine of the whole of Cologne, the golden casket containing the relics of the Three Magi. The cathedral's treasury is open for tourist visits, where the most valuable and ancient items of church utensils, monks' vestments and much more are on display. And you can also climb to the top of one of its towers - but for this you will have to overcome 509 steps on a spiral staircase.
History of construction
The first sacral buildings on the site of Cologne Cathedral appeared in the VI century. Their foundations are represented in the crypt of the cathedral, where ongoing archaeological work is ongoing. The remains of one of the Carolingian chapels have also been preserved and can be seen in the inner courtyard. The full construction of the new cathedral began in 1248. Two important factors coincided - firstly, Cologne had not yet had a cathedral, which greatly affected the prestige of the city, and secondly, back in 1168 Cologne received from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa the most important Christian relic - the sacred relics of the Three Magi.
The new cathedral was built on the example of French cathedrals. In order to allow more light to pass inside the cathedral, graceful pilasters were erected, and the high vaults were supported by a complex system consisting of powerful buttresses and pointed arches crowned with a golden cross. Seventy years later, the choirs were completed, around which runs a gallery with many small individual chapels. In the centre of the choirs is the main altar made of black marble. From the 14th to the 15th century the south tower was under construction, but it remained unfinished. At that time its height did not exceed 60 metres. As for the northern nave of the cathedral, begun in the XVI century, it was only a framework of the building.
In this form, the building existed for several centuries, moreover, during the Great French Revolution here for some time housed a warehouse for fodder. Only in 1842, not without the financial support of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, work finally began on the completion of this long-delayed construction, with the participation of the then outstanding architects Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ernst Friedrich Zwirner. The last stone of the cathedral was laid in 1880, 632 years after construction began. It is worth noting that the two powerful towers were erected according to drawings from as early as 1300 with amazing precision and therefore retained their authentic medieval appearance. Various neo-Gothic decorative elements, including stained glass windows, were also added. However, much had to be restored after the Second World War. Interestingly, by some miracle the cathedral survived the long bombing raids that destroyed almost all of Cologne. It is believed that the pilots used it as a geographical landmark. Restoration work in the cathedral is still in progress.
Interior of the cathedral: valuables, relics, burials
The main value of the cathedral is the golden casket with the relics of the Three Magi, located in the heart of the building. It was made back in 1220 and is decorated with precious stones and cameos. Interestingly, the chest itself bears the image of the mysterious fourth wise man - King Otto IV of Brunswick, King of Germany, who counted himself among the three kings. The cathedral also houses an exquisite carved sculpture of the Virgin and Child, called the Madonna of Milan. It was made in 1290 and repainted in the XIX century. An even older Christian treasure is the Hero Cross, which is a two-metre oak crucifix. It dates back to the 10th century and at the time was considered the largest crucifix in all of Europe. The image of Christ itself is placed in a magnificent baroque altar, made in 1683.
Many ancient burials dating back to the X-XII centuries have been moved to the new cathedral. Among them the tombstone of Archbishop Gero, decorated with red and green porphyry and white marble, is particularly noteworthy. The sarcophagus of Philip of Gainsberg, decorated with pointed wreaths, is of interest because this archbishop participated with the ordinary citizens of Cologne in the construction of the city's defence wall. The tombstone of Archbishop Conrad, who laid the foundation stone of the present-day cathedral, is worthy of decoration - an exquisite bronze statue was erected in his honour. However, there are also later tombstones in the cathedral, including, for example, an amazing Baroque marble sculpture depicting Archbishop Engelbert being guided by an angel.
The Cologne Cathedral Treasury
The Cologne Cathedral Treasury is located in underground rooms in the northern part of the building. Its walls represent the medieval foundations of the cathedral, and some of the masonry details have been preserved from Roman fortifications. This ancient room was subsequently divided into floors, with the upper one specially covered with a glass ceiling so that visitors could raise their heads and once again admire the marvellous view of the cathedral. A separate room is dedicated to a kiosk where you can buy a variety of souvenirs, including consecrated crosses and rosaries.
The Cologne Cathedral Treasury displays various rare objects of religious art, church utensils, as well as monastic vestments and even sacred relics. The oldest are the gift-bearer of St. Peter and his staff decorated with a IV century knob, as well as unique archaeological finds from the Merovingian era. Only a few centuries later, the first ceremonial baton of Cologne's archbishops and other symbols of authority were made.
The cathedral museum also preserves the original, still wooden casket with the relics of the Three Magi. Much attention is paid to medieval Gothic art and ancient manuscripts, and another section is devoted to a collection of luxurious vestments of archbishops and other representatives of the church. Among these exhibits, the rich vestments of the 18th century stand out. In addition, the Treasury presents gilded church utensils, silver cups and decorative arts of the XIX-XX centuries.
On a side note
- Location: Domkloster 4
- Nearest underground stations: "Dom / Hauptbahnhof"
- Official website: www.koelner-dom.de
- Opening hours: open daily from 06.00 to 21.00 from May to October and until 19.30 from November to April, except during religious services.
- Tickets: entrance to the cathedral is free, the treasury is 6 euros, the observation deck on the tower is 4 euros.
