Cologne Cathedral: 146 years ago the World Heritage Site was finished after 632 years
On 15 October 1880, the completion of Cologne Cathedral was celebrated. The church, with towers over 157 metres high, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
Photo: Jörg Braukmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
On 15 October 1880, Cologne celebrated something that had remained unfinished for centuries: the completion of its cathedral. Bulgarian news site Fakti.bg recalled the anniversary on 15 October. The foundation stone had been laid on 15 August 1248, so construction took 632 years in total. The two towers rise more than 157 metres, and for a short time the cathedral was the tallest building in the world.
One reason for the vast project was the relics of the Three Kings, brought from Milan to Cologne in 1164, which made the city a major pilgrimage destination. Work stopped in the 16th century, and the cathedral remained unfinished for more than three centuries. Only in 1842 did Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV lay a new foundation stone; architects Ernst Friedrich Zwirner and Richard Voigtel led the final phase. Emperor Wilhelm I attended the 1880 ceremony.
The cathedral was badly damaged in the Second World War and later restored. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1996. The Gothic cathedral stands right next to the main railway station and is one of Germany's best-known landmarks. Visitors wishing to climb the towers should check opening hours and service times in advance.
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