Cathedral of Cologne

The Cathedral of Cologne, official name " High Church St Pierre and co. Marie" , is a Roman Catholic church of the town of Cologne as well as the cathedral of the archbishop's palace of Cologne. With its 157 meters in height, it is the second higher church of Germany after the Cathédrale of Ulm as well as the third in the world.

It is located at the old Roman border of the North of the city, just beside the current station, of the old city (Altstadt), the Hohenzollernbrücke and the museums Ludwig and Romain-Germanic, with 250m of the the Rhine. It is surrounded by a modern concrete construction: " Domplatte" (Plate of the Cathedral). The whole is on the hill of the Cathedral (Domhügel), with 17 meters with the top of the the Rhine.

It is also the third larger cathedral in Gothic style (after the Cathédrale of Seville and the Dôme of Milan). Many historians of art see there the harmony par excellence between the various architectural parts as well as the jewel of the Gothic style of the Moyen-Âge. For this reason it was registered, in 1996, on the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO. The enormous western frontage with the two turns, of more than 7.100 m ², does not have for the moment exceeded nowhere elsewhere in the world.

It is moreover the monument more visited Germany: 5 million visitors in 2001 and 6 million in 2004, come from the whole world. In 2005, the pope Benoît XVI went there at the time of the world Journées of Youth organized to Cologne.

History

A first church is built on the spot as of the year 413, but, contrary to the tradition, the chorus was directed in the west.

The influence of the place grows when the bishop of Cologne, Hildebold, obtains the Pallium in 785.

The church of origin having been destroyed by a fire before 851, one second is rebuilt and receives, at the time of the Saint Empire Romain Germanique, the Relique S of the Magi.

A legend tells that the Franc-maçonnerie would have been born with the center the Corporation masons who worked with the construction of this cathedral. However, this thesis is far from making consensus.

Stages of construction

1247 : Project of the Cathedral.
1248 : Pose first stone by the bishop then construction of the Chevet and the Nef.
September 27th 1322: Dedication of the Cathedral.
1380 : The first gate known as of saint Pierre is completed, then comes the turn Southern.
1560 : Interruption of work. In addition to the lack of money, the Gothic is not any more in vogue.
16th century: Beginning of the construction of the Northern tower.
September 4th 1842: Frederic-Guillaume IV of Prussia poses the first stone symbolizing the resumption of work.
Of 1841 with 1863: the frontages and the Voûte S are finished then the towers completed in the fields of the 14th century.

1945 : The cathedral is one of the only buildings to being remained upright after the Bombardement S ceaseless which the town of Cologne during the Second world war lived. It is nevertheless not saved by the damage, its vault is destroyed but the unit is restored in 1950.

Architectural type

This Gothic Cathédrale of style is, until in 1884, the most building of the world. It is the second larger church of the world, after the Cathédrale of Ulm.

Project superintendent

The project superintendent of the Cathédrale is Gerhard Karl Eduard Richard Voigtel.

Dimensions

Height: 187,38 meters.
Surface: approximately 8.000 square meters.
Length: 144 meters
Width: 61,5 meters (western frontage)
Walk: 599 steps
Volume: 407.000 m
Surface on the ground: 7914 m
Surface of the frontage: 7000 m

Bells

They 8, are numbered larger with smallest. The bumblebee (St Petersglocke), with its 24 tons (800kg for its only leaf), is the largest bell with flight balancing of the world. Run in 1921, of a diameter of 3m22, it sounds only sometimes the year.

The cathedral and UNESCO

The cathedral was registered on the list of the world heritage in danger of UNESCO of 2004 with 2006, in order to not implement safety actions on the building in itself, but on the modern environment, being able to have a negative visual impact on the site him even and the particular place which it occupies in the landscape of Cologne. This mention allowed that the construction project of new large buildings is revised with the fall and that is improved management of the surroundings of the cathedral.

The cathedral on the parts of two euros

From here 2011, the cathedral of Cologne will be the only European monument to have been reproduced on the parts of two euros two countries:

in 2005 on the parts commemorative of the Vatican to celebrate the 20th world Days of youth organized in Cologne in August 2005;
in 2012 on the parts commemorative of Germany which, through the cathedral of Cologne, will represent the Land of Rhineland-of-North-Westphalia.

Anecdotes

At the time of the restoration of the roof of the cathedral in the years 1980-1990, the sheets of Plomb deposited were recovered by the contemporary plastics technician Anselm Kiefer and were used in many sculptures.

Gallery

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