Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom, Cologne

How could you NOT go to the Dom? It's spires are visible from so many points in the city. In fact, I recommend staying in a hotel near to it so you can use those spires as a guide to get you home when you've had too much Kolsch and are a little confused...

But seriously, we walked by the Dom all the time while in Cologne and every time, I had to stare at it and naturally, take pictures. I put a travelogue together with those photos. Check it out - you know you want to...

4 more images

Officially the Cathedral in Cologne is Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria, or in English: High Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Mary. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and a World Heritage site that gets thousands of visitors a day - it is the main thing to see in Cologne - and you can't really visit without seeing it.

I've seen the Dom twice. Once in 1950 when the rest of the city was in rubble around it, and once in 1964 after a long plane trip. The Cathedral is visible from almost everywhere in town and this was even more the case after WWII. There was nothing standing around the cathedral for several blocks. The tall twin spires were an easily recognizable navigational landmark by Allied aircraft raiding deeper into Germany in the later years of the war.

Opening hours:

November - April / 6:00 - 19:30 hours
May - Oktober / 6:00 - 21:00 hours

During mass sight seeing is not possible.

Now there is an option for a Tower climb which I'm absolutely sure we did not do in 1950 as the Cathedral was still being re-supported from the structural damage from the 70 hits that it took during the war.

Opening hours:
January - February / 9:00 - 16:00 hours
March - April / 9:00 - 17:00 hours
May - September / 9:00 - 18:00 hours
October / 9:00 - 17:00 hours
November - December / 9:00 - 16:00 hours

Admission charge:
Adults / EUR 3,00
Family-Card / EUR 6,-
reduced (schoolchildren, students, handicapped persons with passes) / EUR 1,50,-
combined entrance treasure chamber / tower / EUR 6.-
reduced combined entrance treasure chamber / tower / EUR 3.-
Family-Card: combined entrance treasure chamber / tower / EUR 15.-

4 more images

It is impossible to visit Cologne and not visit the Koln Dom St. Peter und Maria. This is the secon tallest church in the World and largest in Northern Europe. Inside there were two huge organs and beautiful colourful windows. Downstairs of the Cathedra you can enjoy The Treasury. The Cathedral stood intact during the bWorld War II as they heave used it as a landmark.

4 more images

Also known as Kolner Dom, this massive cathedral is not to be missed. If you leave Cologne without visiting it you'll really be missing out! Cologne Cathedral is the most beautiful church I have ever seen; it's sweeping height makes Paris' Notre Dome look like a doll house. At 474 ft long, 284 ft wide and 515 ft tall, it is the largest Gothic church in northern Europe. And every inch of the structure is covered in ornate stonework and gorgeous statues.

On the inside, pay special attention to the large gold box in the back center of the church. This is the Shrine of the Three Kings, made by Nikolaus von Verdun in 1181-1220 to hold the relics of the Three Kings. These were brought to Cologne from Italy in 1164 by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa.

No admission is charged to enter the cathedral unless you are entering as a part of a guided tour.

Hours:
November - April / 6:00 - 19:30 hours
May - October / 6:00 - 21:00 hours
Understandably, the church asks that all sightseers leave during mass.

You may climb one of the towers for a fee of 3 euro.

Tower Hours:
January - February / 9:00 - 16:00 hours
March - April / 9:00 - 17:00 hours
May - September / 9:00 - 18:00 hours
October / 9:00 - 17:00 hours
November - December / 9:00 - 16:00 hours

Information about guided tours and the treasury can be found on the cathedral's website (linked to below).

I have written three blog posts about this incredible landmark. To see them (and tons of extra photos), follow these links:

Exterior: http://address-the-world.blogspot.com/2012/02/cologne-part-1-kolner-dom-exterior.html

Interior: http://address-the-world.blogspot.com/2012/02/cologne-part-2-kolner-dom-interior.html

Details: http://address-the-world.blogspot.com/2012/04/cologne-round-2-part-4-details-of.html

Since the 10th century The cathedral of cologne has been home to many treasures; stored safely in their treasury. These were purpose built rooms, but not open to the public.

The first public display was undertaken in 1867!

The 21 October 2000, saw the opening of the treasury in converted underground vaults. There is a total of 500sqm split across 6 exhibitions rooms.

You can access the treasury from the station or from the cathedral itself.

The treasury is fully accessible to the disabled.

4 more images

The cathedral is the home of the Cologne Bishopric; this institution dates from the 4th century. The first documented Bishop is Maternus and there is note of him as far back as 313 AD.

I have been reading the guide of the Cathedral, and as with most medieval cathedrals across Europe, their construction is not a quick or easy job to carried out and complete.

It seems that the present cathedral sits on the remains of a structure which had been consecrated in 870 AD. This building was 95m (312 feet) long.

In 1164, the Archbishop (Rainald von Dassel) transferred "the bones of the three Magi" from Milan to this original cathedral. Von Dassel died in 1167, his successor was Phillip von Heinsberg, and it is thought the work was commenced on the cathedral we see today on his instruction. The last piece of construction work ceased in 1560,

However, there were things and amendments needed and in 1846 Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia laid a ground stone, and work recommenced. By 1880, the last finial was placed at the top of the south tower; to mark the importance of this work; Kaiser Wilhelm I was present.

The cathedral is really the landmark of Cologne. You can see it from almost everywhere in Cologne. Just when you walk out of the trainstation you're infront of the cathedral. Its also possible to climb the stairs to the top to have a magnifent view over the city of Cologne.

4 more images

The original medieval designs for Cologne Cathedral were awesome in their ambition. So much so that it took over 600 years for it to be finally completed. But when it was, the building became the tallest in the world. Even today it is one of the world's largest churches with the largest facade of any on the planet. The cathedral is so vast and so old that it is under permanent repair.

It is one of the most stunning, most beautiful, most famous landmarks in all of Germany, and at 20,000 people a day it is the most visited. The twin spires, striking upwards from the riverfront, are an iconic part of Cologne's cityscape. If you visit only one place in Germany, this should probably be the one to see. It is vast, epic, and unforgettable; a testament to architectural genius and unflagging determination.

2 more images

Photos:
1. Sanctus Petrus
2. A set of stained glass windows
3. Windows at the east end of the Cathedral

The Cologne Cathedral has dozens of stained glass windows that were created over a period of nearly 750 years.

They say the earliest window dates from the 13th century. The newest was made in 2007. Most of the windows are still (or again) in their original positions in the cathedral.

During the Second World War the Cathedral was hit by fourteen bombs, which caused damage to some parts of the building (particularly the north side, apparently), but as a whole the Cathedral remained more or less intact despite the wartime bombings.

2 more images

Photos:
1. Cologne Cathedral
2. Inside the Cathedral
3. Towers of the cathedral

Tourists sometimes get upset when they come out of the station and find that there is scaffolding around some parts of the Cathedral. But this is nothing unusual, because a huge and delicate building like this is always a construction site, and always has been ever since the cornerstone was laid in the year 1248.

Recently I was talking with a guy who has lived in Cologne for nearly seventy years and walks past the Cathedral more or less daily, and he confirmed that he has never see it without at least a little bit of renovation work going on somewhere in or on the building.

They do try keep the scaffolding to a minimum, however, and only repair a small section at any one time, so you can still get a good overall impression of the building. And you can crop the scaffolding out of your photos if you insist.