Cologne Cathedral: Longer Than Any Other Gothic Construction Project in History

The Kolner Dom was started in 1248 and finished in 1880 – 632 years from groundbreaking to completion, making it the longest-running major Gothic construction project in history. For 300 of those years, the crane at the top of the south tower was a permanent feature of Cologne’s skyline, visible from miles away, as construction was abandoned and restarted as finances permitted. The medieval masons and the 19th-century architects who completed the twin spires were separated by centuries but produced a building that looks, from the outside, like it was built all at once.

The south window added in 2007 by Cologne-born artist Gerhard Richter replaces WWII-damaged glass with 11,500 small squares of colour arranged randomly by computer. It does not look medieval; it looks like pixels. The cathedral authorities and Richter argued publicly about the design. The result is striking and divisive, which is probably appropriate for a building that took six centuries to complete.

Inside the Cathedral

Entry to the nave is free. The scale registers immediately: 144 metres long, 45 metres wide, 43 metres to the nave vault ceiling. The proportions feel more vertical than most Gothic cathedrals achieve. The choir stalls date from 1311 and are the largest surviving medieval choir stalls in Germany.

The Shrine of the Three Kings, a gold reliquary created around 1190, is behind the high altar. This is the object that drove the cathedral’s construction: Cologne was a major medieval pilgrimage destination for the relics of the Magi, and the building was started specifically to house them.

The Tower Climb

The south tower observation platform at 97 metres is reached by 533 steps, no lift. The view takes in the Rhine, the Hohenzollern Bridge covered in padlocks, and on clear days extends west over the Ruhr valley. Check koelnerdom.de for hours by season.

The Treasury, accessed separately at the north side, holds the most significant medieval religious objects in Germany, including the Gero Cross (960 CE, one of the oldest large crucifixes in the Germanic world). Entry around EUR 8.

Around Cologne

Museum Ludwig, immediately northeast of the cathedral, holds one of the most important 20th-century art collections in Germany, including the third-largest Picasso collection in the world. The pop art holdings are exceptional. Free entry on the first Thursday evening of each month.

The Chocolate Museum on the Rhine bank south of the cathedral is better than its name suggests: genuinely informative about chocolate production history, with a famous chocolate fountain. Allow 90 minutes.

Eating in Cologne

Cologne’s beer culture centres on Kolsch, a pale top-fermented beer served in 200ml cylindrical glasses called Stangen. You do not ask for another; the waiter brings them continuously until you place your glass on a beer mat. It is an extremely efficient system once you understand it.

Brauerei zur Malzmuhle on Heumarkt is the oldest brewery in the city centre. Fruh am Dom, on the cathedral plaza, is the most tourist-facing Kolsch brewery and still serves perfectly good beer. Cologne’s most local dish is Himmel un Äd (mashed potato and apple sauce with black pudding), which appears on most brewery menus.

The Belgian Quarter (Belgisches Viertel), 15 minutes from the cathedral, has the city’s most interesting independent restaurant and cafe concentration.

Getting There and Staying

Cologne’s central station is on the main Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail corridor: Frankfurt in under an hour, Amsterdam in 2.5 hours. No need to fly. The Excelsior Hotel Ernst, directly opposite the cathedral’s north facade, has been the premier address since 1863.