Kölner Dom
Also known as the Cologne Cathedral, this Roman Catholic church is a World Heritage Site and Germany’s most visited landmark nationwide. It’s both renowned for its symbolism of German Catholicism and Gothic Architecture. Since the 13th century, it has been to be “the mother and master of all churches in Germany.” More than a dozen bombs damaged its infrastructure during World War II, and it wasn’t until the latter half of the 19th century the the buildings were fully restored.
The interior had clerestory windows towering above with tall shafts and carved stalls. The structure also holds one of the very highest Gothic vaults in the world.
On the South side, there are 5 massive 19th century glass windows that really steal your attention. They are called the Bayernfenster. They were gifts by the Ludwig I of Bavaria, the king of Bavaria until the March Revolution in 1848. Ludwig I is quite interesting to me because he didn’t like the alliance his father made with Napoleon I and as a crown prince, he was incredibly supportive when Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleon. His second son, Otto, also eventually became the king of Greece.
However, towards the end of his rule, there were various rebellions towards the German Confederation. They had fought for radical political reform, democracy and freedom of speech. He eventually abdicated the throne, but still left behind a legacy in the architecture and the arts.
The ceilings, unlike those in Italian churches are bare, bit the stained glass windows create the image illusion of grandeur as the sun filters the area. Like most Gothic churches, the ground plan is in the shape of a Latin cross.
If you walk down the stairs on the picture above on the right side, you can find yourself in an underground adoration chapel. I wouldn’t recommend though that you go down alone, as when the temperature drops there is an air of silence that would make some people quite uncomfortable.
I was also thoroughly impressed by the tilework on the floor. Most people just walked all over it, but if you look closely there’s an incredible attention to detail. This went one for meters and thinking about how time-consuming it must have been, or whether or not these were the original tile works made me give a silent prayer for the other artists who had helped make this place beautiful without ever receiving due recognition.
One of my regrets is that I was unable to take a photo of the most notable artwork inside the Cathedral, the Shrine of the Three Kings. Designed by Philip von Heinsberg in 1167, it is said to hold the remains of the original Three Wise Men of the bible said to have been acquired during the conquest of Milan in 1164. Rumor has it is that they had opened it in the 19th century and it revealed a set of bones and clothes. Whether or not they are of the original three wise men is beyond me.
There was also a short mass that went on, which I wasn’t able to appreciate because I couldn’t speak German. What saddens me a bit though is that there were very little people inside the massive church that were there for mass. It was mostly a hoard of tourists taking pictures everywhere and with everything (which kind of includes me). It might have been the fact that it was also not a Sunday, but it was still quite sad to see such a beautiful church with very few praying in it.
