This year's Spring travel itch is being hosted by...Germany! First stop: Cologne.
The site has had some sort of structure for Christian worship since about the 4th century. Things started to get exciting in 1164 when Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I stole the bones of the Three Magi from Milan and they ended up in the hands of the Archbishop of Cologne. Inevitably, having Magi bones made Cologne a major destination for Christian pilgrims, and there was soon a need to build a bigger, better church to accommodate the relics and the tourists. Fortunately, the influx of pilgrims also provided the church with enough money to plan and awe-inspiring structure, and they started building in 1248. Unfortunately, pilgrimages dropped off during the Reformation and construction had to be halted (that's right, blame the Lutherans). Finally, in the mid-1800s, interest in finishing the cathedral as a symbol of German pride and unity generated enough money and enthusiasm to resume construction. Those crazy Germans proceeded to finish the church in just 38 years!
Let's approach!
West end (Thank goodness for green trees, the light today was really grey)!
515 feet tall!
North side. This is the first thing you see when you exit the Köln train station.
East end (these windows would be just behind the high altar).
Close-up of buttresses, gargoyles, and trumpet player.
Detail from west entrance.
