Rising over 500 feet into the sky, the twin spires of Cologne’s Dom Cathedral are Germany’s tallest and most visited landmark which is now a World Heritage Site attracting some 20,000 visitors a day!
Construction of this renowned monument began in the 13th century, was halted two centuries later due to lack of funds, re-started in the 19th century and completed, to plan, in 1880!
In World War II, the cathedral suffered fourteen hits during aerial bombing raids by the Allied Forces, and, although badly damaged, it remained standing in an otherwise completely flattened city; the twin spires provided an easily recognizable navigational landmark used by the pilots during missions. The cathedral and the immediate area surrounding it was also the site of intense tank combat between American and German forces in March 1945.
Post war renovations to the cathedral were completed in 1956. However, an emergency repair on the northwest tower’s base carried out in 1944 using poor-quality brick taken from a nearby ruined building remained visible until 2005 as a reminder of the war, when it was decided to restore the section to its original appearance.
Maintenance work is constantly on-going and the cathedral is rarely completely free of scaffolding, as wind, rain, and pollution slowly eat away at the stones.
Peskey scaffolding ruining my picture of the twin spires of the Dom Cathedral!
To the side of the Cathedral is the Dom Christmas market.
The Blogging Brit 