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Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom, Cologne
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Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom, Cologne

Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom tips and photos posted by real travelers and Cologne locals.
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Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Climbing Koeln Dom
  • Tip Rating:
  • Mariajoy
  • Updated By Mariajoy on July 9, 2005
  • Cologne Page by Mariajoy
  • Inside the cathedral - Cologne
    Inside the cathedral
    by Mariajoy
    The building of Cathedral of Cologne was started in 1270 and took 600 years to complete (a bit like this page :)). It is situated right next to Central Station so you can't miss it! It is free to enter but there are churchmen in red robes standing about with collection boxes hanging round their necks should you feel inclined to make a donation. Unfortunately there was scaffolding up one of the towers when we visited and some necessary restoration work - if I come back in another 5 years it might be finished.

    A ticket to the top of the Suedturm (south tower) will cost you 2 Euro - but be prepared it is a LONG hard climb if you aren't very fit. Fortunately my friend and I had no problems and we gave ourselves a pat on the back for making it to the top without the need for resuscitation.

    The spiral stairwell is VERY narrow and people will be coming down as you are going up and vice versa - and with rucksacks and/or carrying children it is a wonder there aren't more accidents.

    Opening times are:
    Jan-Feb 9am-4pm
    Mar-Apr 9am-5pm
    May-Sep 9am-6pm
    Oct 9am-5pm
    Nov-Dec 9am-4pm

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  • Address: Central Cologne - look up - you can't miss it.
  • Phone: 0221 1794 05 20
  • Directions: Come out of the station and turn left.
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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Dom (Cologne cathedral)
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  • diocletianvs
  • Updated By diocletianvs on January 23, 2005
  • Cologne Page by diocletianvs
  • Dom seen from the train station - Cologne
    Dom seen from the train
    station
    by diocletianvs
    Arriving to Cologne by train awards you with one of the most breathtaking sights you can see from any train station in Europe. When the railway arrived to Cologne in 1839 the cathedral was still a big construction site and noone knew when it will be finished. (The building of the cathedral continued three years later.)
    This is why the weird decision was made to locate the main train station on the footsteps of one of Europe's most important cathedrals. The sight of the spires you see from the train station is simply breathtaking - you just have to take the right exit (since Cologne Hauptbanhof is one of Europe's largest train stations).

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  • Directions: Main train station - Cologne Hauptbanhof.
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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Dom (Cologne Cathedral)
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  • diocletianvs
  • Updated By diocletianvs on February 6, 2005
  • Cologne Page by diocletianvs
  • Cologne cathedral - Cologne
    Cologne cathedral
    by diocletianvs
    The building of this Germany's largest cathedral started in the 13th Century but it took six centuries for its final completion in the 19th Century. The Cathedral holds the remains of the Three Kings and was one of the most important pilgrim churches of the Medieval Europe. Today it is one of the most visited monuments in Germany.

    The interior is interesting and shows the genuine gothic darkness. The size of the cathedral is impressive as it still dominates Cologne's skyline. I bought a postcard showing the Cathedral among the ruins of the heavily bombarded Cologne in the WWII. Apparently, the Cathedral was saved because is was used as a navigation point by British pilots.

    Did I say it was finished after 600 years? Well, officially it was. Although many tourists believe scaffoldings are the integral part of the structure they are here only for the reconstruction purposes which is apparently a continous process.

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  • Address: Domkloster 3
  • Website: http://www.koelner-dom.de
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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Dom
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  • croisbeauty
  • Updated By croisbeauty on March 10, 2006
  • Cologne Page by croisbeauty
  • the south portal - Cologne
    the south portal
    by croisbeauty, 4 more photos
    The twin spires of the cathedral, built only in the 19th century, are a symbol of the city. The first Christian church, where a Roman temple once stood, was built in 320 and its font can still be seen inside the cathedral. The construction of the present cathedral, consecrated to St. Peter (protector of Germany), started in 1248 to be a fitting home for the Shrine of the Three Kings.
    On the occasion of the 700th anniversary, the sculptor Matare de3signed bronze doors for the south portal.
    TO BE CONTINUED

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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Dom final stone
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  • diocletianvs
  • Updated By diocletianvs on February 6, 2005
  • Cologne Page by diocletianvs
  • Dom - Cologne
    Dom
    by diocletianvs
    The spires of the Cathedral reach 156 metres making it still the most important vertical dominating Cologne. The five-aisle gothic interior is so huge that St. Domnius tower of the cathedral in my birthtown Split would fit into the main nave.

    To show the size of the cathedral a replica of the final stone is placed in front of the main entrance. It is possible to climb on the towers but when I was in Cologne it was very windy and Sabsi was very successful convincing me that there are exactly 509 steps leading to the top and that there's no need to count them myself.

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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Kölner Dom - Gero Crucifix
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  • Diana75
  • By Diana75 on January 8, 2006
  • Cologne Page by Diana75
  • Gero Crucifix - Cologne
    Gero Crucifix
    by Diana75
    This magnificent wooden crucifix was donated by Archbishop Gero and is the oldest monumental figure of the Crucified Christ that is still in existence
    In the Old Cathedral the crucifix was placed in the centre of the church near Gero's tomb.
    In the new Cathedral it was placed around 1270 above the Altar of the Chapel of Saint Stephen, and around 1350 it was moved to its actual place on the east wall of the Chapel of the Cross.

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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Kölner Dom - Western Façade Portals
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  • Diana75
  • Updated By Diana75 on February 19, 2006
  • Cologne Page by Diana75
  • Kölner Dom - Western Façade Portals - Cologne
    Kölner Dom - Western
    Façade Portals
    by Diana75,
    2 more photos
    On the Western Facade of the Kolner Dom are three portals

    Each portal on the western facade has one door, while the middle portal has two.

    The middle portal, called also the main portal, is 9.30 meters wide and, including its gable, more than 28 meters high.
    To the left is the portal of the Three Holy Kings which shows the presentation of the Son of God to the peoples of the world.
    To the right is the Peter's Portal which refers to the spreading of the teachings of Christ through the apostles.

    All three portals also celebrate the most important saints of the Cathedral.

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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Get inSPIREd by this Gothic masterpiece.........
  • Tip Rating:
  • jackfruit
  • Updated By jackfruit on April 18, 2004
  • Cologne Page by jackfruit
  • View from the Nave - Cologne
    View from the Nave
    by jackfruit
    Right from the moment you step out of the train station, the spires of this gigantic cathedral hold your attention. When you are walking the shores of the Rhine near the Rhein-garten or people watching near the busy Am Hof, the cathedral forms a majestic backdrop for this once powerful medieval city.

    Entrance is on the side closest to the train station. Free. Hours are 6am to 7pm every day, although when i visited (saturday before easter), it was open well past 8pm.

    The cathedral was begun in 1248, but it took until 1880 to complete it. After being completly bombed in WWII, it took some major reconstruction to restore the cathedral to it's previous majesty. The great bell of the south tower called the Kaiserglocke, which was originally a french cannon captured during the Franco Prussian war, is one of the largest in the world. The cathedral is most famous for it's shrine of the Magi, which is reputed to contain the bones of the 3 wise men who brought gifts to the infant baby Jesus.

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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Cologne Cathedral
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  • yumyum
  • Updated By yumyum on July 28, 2007
  • Cologne Page by yumyum
  • part of front view - Cologne
    part of front view
    by yumyum,
    4 more photos
    I visited the cathedral now for the third time this year. Since it's such an impressive structure with so many details, you can visit it many times and still discover more.

    On this visit I stayed for the midday prayer at 12 o'clock noon time. Attendants hand out leafleats with the prayer in several languages. The service takes half an hour and is worth listening to as you get twice to hear the organ music. The only thing that put me off, was the incredible noise the fenced off tourists made by the main entrance while the service was held. It was actually hard to understand the priest although they use loud speakers.

    If you want more information on the cathedral you can buy a leaflet for one Euro. They are available in many languages.

    The cathedral is very old and part of today's structure was first consecrated in 1322. The cathedral contains many chapels and is the burial ground for archbishops.

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  • Directions: right by the railway station
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    Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom: Cathedral - interior
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  • yumyum
  • Updated By yumyum on July 28, 2007
  • Cologne Page by yumyum
  • Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom - Cologne
    by yumyum,
    4 more photos
    If you are already stunned by the height of the cathedral from the outside, wait till you get inside! It's absolutely amazing.

    There are many beautiful tinted glass windows and chapels which are the burial places to an archbishop. One of the highlights is the Shrine of the Three Magi, which is entirely in gold.

    Take a seat while you are there, so that you can look at the high ceilings too.

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