Dominating the skyline of Cologne and considered as the hallmark of the city on the Rhine, the Cologne Cathedral is one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture in the world. From the outside the cathedral looks dark and menacing, but its inside is just awe inspiring. The Cologne Cathedral with its huge façade, larger than any church in the world, has a long history that spans through many centuries. Though the corner stone of the present cathedral was laid by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August 1248, the site has been occupied by the Christian churches since about the 4th century.
Apparently, the necessity of constructing a new cathedral was strongly felt, as the previous building did not seem to be impressive enough to house the mortal remains of the Three Kings, which was taken away by the Holy Roman Empire Frederick Barbarossa from the Basilica of Saint’Eustorgio, Milan and brought back to the cathedral city in 1164 by Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel. As the previous cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1248, work on the present structure began immediately after that, designed in the Gothic style in emulation of French church architecture.
The choir of the new cathedral was consecrated in 1322, but the overall progress was very slow. During the 15th century, only the north aisles were completed and in the early 16th century, the project was stalled. At that point of time, the chancel, the lower section of the south tower with bell tower, the long nave and the cross nave were completed up to the lower arcades, while a large wooden crane was left standing some 184 feet (56 m) above the ground, at the top of the south tower. The troops of the French Revolution occupied the incomplete cathedral during the 1790s and used it as a stable and a hay barn.
Finally, spurred on by the supporters of the German Romantic movement, along with the spontaneous support of the Gothic Revival movement, the suspended work of the incomplete cathedral resumed in 1842, when a new cornerstone was laid by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.
Guided by the architectural drawings made in or about 1300, the architects Ernst Friedrich Zwirner and Richard Voigtel carried out the enterprise to complete the nave in record time. After that, the towers were added and bells were installed in the towers in 1870.
The completion of the Cologne Cathedral, the largest cathedral of Germany, was celebrated as a national event on 14 August 1880, virtually 632 years after the beginning of the project. With a height of 516.3 feet (157.38 m), the cathedral was believed to be the world’s tallest structure, until the completion of the Washington Monument in the United States in 1884.
As it is usual with the Gothic cathedrals, the plan of the Cologne Cathedral is shaped like a Latin cross. The two aisles of the cathedral, located on either side, help to support one of the very highest Gothic vaults in the world.
The outward thrust of the vault is externally taken by flying buttresses. The medieval choir presents a French style arrangement of very tall arcade, a narrow triforium gallery, which is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level, lit by windows and the ornamental stone filigrees merging with that of the windows above. While the nave has many 19th century stained glass windows, the vault is of plain quadripartite arrangement.
Installed in 1322, the High Altar, created of black marble with a 15 feet (4.6 m) long slab forming the top, is one of the treasures of the cathedral. Its front and sides are overlaid with white marble niches into which the stone figures are set, with the Coronation of the Virgin at the centre. The most celebrated work of art in the cathedral, the massive gold Shrine of the Three Kings, is located near the High Altar. It was commissioned by Philip von Heinsberg, archbishop of Cologne from 1167 to 1191 and the noted goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun took eight years to complete the masterpiece of medieval gold-work in or around 1220.Originally installed in the predecessor cathedral, the shrine said to contain the relics of the Magi, who attended the infant Jesus.
Despite badly damaged by Allied air raids in 1944, Cologne Cathedral remained standing in an otherwise completely ruined city. The repairing of the war damages was completed in 1956 and it was added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage in 1996. However, the main factors affecting the Cathedral are weather and environmental influences, as a result of which repair and maintenance work is constantly being carried out in one or another section of the huge building.