122-528: Petersglocke ( pronounced [ˈpeːtɐsˌɡlɔkə] ; English: "[Saint] Peter's bell" ), commonly referred to as Dicker Pitter ( German: [ˈdɪkɐ ˈpɪtɐ] ; Kölsch : Decke Pitter or Dekke Pitter , pronounced [ˈdekə ˈpitˑɐ] ; i.e. "Fat/Big Peter"), is the largest bell in Cologne Cathedral . It was cast in 1923 by Heinrich Ulrich in Apolda and hangs in
244-519: A temperate – oceanic climate ( Köppen: Cfb ) with cool winters and warm summers. It is also one of the cloudiest cities in Germany, with just 1,567.5 hours of sun a year. Its average annual temperature is 10.7 °C (51 °F): 15.4 °C (60 °F) during the day and 6.1 °C (43 °F) at night. In January, the mean temperature is 3.0 °C (37 °F), while the mean temperature in July
366-543: A baptismal font due to the changed rite, only the baptismal piscina remained from the baptistery. Today, this piscina, which is accessible in the base of the cathedral, is considered the oldest evidence of Christian worship in Cologne. In Carolingian times, the Old Cathedral was built on Cologne Cathedral Hill and consecrated in 870. The cathedral is now known as Hildebold Cathedral after Bishop Hildebold , who
488-517: A burial place for the royal family; among others, the king's wife Wisigard was buried here around 537. However, the excavation finds under the cathedral choir do not allow a complete reconstruction of the buildings from the Merovingian period. Already in late antiquity, there was a baptistery to the east of the cathedral choir, where the early Christians, following the rite of the time, stepped into knee-deep water and were completely doused. It
610-542: A church, but in a residential building, which is thought to have been located on the cathedral hill below today's choir. After the collapse of Roman rule on the Rhine, the Merovingian petty kings residing in Cologne built an episcopal church on this site in the 6th century, which was eventually around 40 to 50 meters long and equipped with an ambon . This building, which was probably built by King Theudebert I , served as
732-422: A deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer , became the first West German chancellor. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialisation changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing
854-466: A distance, the building is dominated by its huge spires, which are entirely Germanic in character, being openwork like those of Ulm , Vienna , Strasbourg and Regensburg Cathedrals . One of the treasures of the cathedral is the high altar, which was installed in 1322. It is constructed of black marble, with a solid slab 15 ft (4.6 m) long forming the top. The front and sides are overlaid with white marble niches into which are set figures, with
976-545: A few years. After the official completion of the cathedral in 1880, finishing work continued for around 20 years. Shortly before his death in 1902, master builder Richard Voigtel publicly stated that the cathedral had finally been completed. However, after the wings of an angel figure fell from the façade in 1906, the cathedral master builders resumed the renovation work. The cathedral is built from different types of rock, which weather to varying degrees due to their characteristics. The filigree buttresses and arches are exposed to
1098-491: A figurative depiction of 20th-century Catholic martyrs for the window, did not attend the unveiling. Holder of the office since 2014 is Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki . On 5 January 2015, the cathedral remained dark as floodlights were switched off to protest a demonstration by PEGIDA . In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites. In 2004, it
1220-604: A fire. The altar of the patron saints of Cologne with an altarpiece by the International Gothic painter Stefan Lochner is in the Marienkapelle ("St. Mary's Chapel"). After completion in 1265, the radiating chapels were immediately taken into service as a burial place. The relics of Saint Irmgardis found a final resting place in the St. Agnes' Chapel. Her trachyte sarcophagus is considered to be created by
1342-473: A gesture of solidarity with Ukraine, as bystanders gathered to mourn those killed during Russia's invasion and pray for peace." The Kölner Dom was among them. Cologne Cologne ( / k ə ˈ l oʊ n / kə- LOHN ; German: Köln [kœln] ; Kölsch : Kölle [ˈkœlə] ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and
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#17327797113271464-597: A number of trade shows . The first urban settlement on the grounds of modern-day Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum , founded in 38 BCE by the Ubii , a Cisrhenian Germanic tribe . In 50 CE, the Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 CE. It was also known as Augusta Ubiorum . Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near
1586-516: A permanent Allied occupation of the entire Rhineland. As part of the demilitarisation of the Rhineland , the city's fortifications had to be dismantled. This was an opportunity to create two green belts ( Grüngürtel ) around the city by converting the fortifications and their fields of fire into large public parks. This was not completed until 1933. In 1919 the University of Cologne , closed by
1708-702: A tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks such as the Gürzenich event hall was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church of St. Kunibert was finished. In 1959, the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1 million for about one year from 1975. It remained just below that until mid-2010, when it exceeded 1 million again. In
1830-473: A year. At 157 m (515 ft), the cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, the second tallest church in Europe after Ulm Minster , and the third tallest church of any kind in the world. Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 but was halted in the years around 1560, unfinished. Attempts to complete the construction began around 1814 but the project was not properly funded until
1952-470: Is 19.0 °C (66 °F). The record high temperature of 40.3 °C (105 °F) happened on 25 July 2019 during the July 2019 European heat wave in which Cologne saw three consecutive days over 38.0 °C (100 °F). Especially the inner urban neighbourhoods experience a greater number of hot days, as well as significantly higher temperatures during nighttime compared to the surrounding area (including
2074-609: Is 37.5 m (123 ft) above sea level (the Worringer Bruch ). The city of Cologne lies within the larger area of the Cologne Lowland , a cone-shaped area of the central Rhineland that lies between Bonn , Aachen and Düsseldorf . Cologne is divided into 9 boroughs ( Stadtbezirke ) and 85 districts ( Stadtteile ): Located in the Rhine-Ruhr area, Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. It has
2196-638: Is a cathedral in Cologne , North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church . It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne . It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is Germany's most visited landmark , attracting an average of 6 million people
2318-585: Is a major cultural center for the Rhineland ; it hosts more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. There are many institutions of higher education, most notably the University of Cologne , one of Europe's oldest and largest universities; the Technical University of Cologne , Germany's largest university of applied sciences; and the German Sport University Cologne . It hosts three Max Planck science institutes and
2440-574: Is a major research hub for the aerospace industry, with the German Aerospace Center and the European Astronaut Centre headquarters. Lufthansa , Europe's largest airline, have their main corporate headquarters in Cologne. It also has a significant chemical and automobile industry. Cologne Bonn Airport is a regional hub, the main airport for the region being Düsseldorf Airport . The Cologne Trade Fair hosts
2562-612: Is a small set of very closely related dialects, or variants, of the Ripuarian Central German group of languages. These dialects are spoken in the area covered by the Archdiocese and former Electorate of Cologne reaching from Neuss in the north to just south of Bonn , west to Düren and east to Olpe in the North-West of Germany. Kölsch is one of the very few city dialects in Germany, which also include
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#17327797113272684-476: Is assumed that the baptismal font ( piscina ), which dates back to the 5th century, was originally located in the garden of the Roman house that served as a Christian meeting place. Later, the baptistry built above the pool was presumably combined with the cathedral church to form a single building complex, although there is no archaeological evidence of this today. When Hildebold Cathedral was built and equipped with
2806-473: Is only rung on special occasions and on solemnities . The declaration or death of an Archbishop of Cologne or of a Pope , as well as the investiture of a new archbishop also warrant tolling St. Peter. All bells of the cathedral rang on the eve of 28 March 1936, a Friedensappell ("peace appeal") of Hitler , which he made in Cologne due to the Reichstag elections. Likewise, the St. Petersglocke declared
2928-499: Is regularly affected by flooding from the Rhine and is considered the most flood-prone European city. A city agency ( Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln , "Cologne Urban Drainage Operations") manages an extensive flood control system which includes both permanent and mobile flood walls , protection from rising waters for buildings close to the river banks, monitoring and forecasting systems, pumping stations and programmes to create or protect floodplains , and river embankments. The system
3050-717: Is the oldest large crucifix north of the Alps and the earliest-known large free-standing Northern sculpture of the medieval period. In the Sacrament Chapel is the Mailänder Madonna ("Milan Madonna"), a high Gothic carving, depicting the Blessed Virgin and the infant Jesus. It was made in the Cologne Cathedral workshop sometime around 1290 as a replacement for the original which was lost in
3172-534: The Battle of Worringen in 1288, Cologne gained its independence from the archbishops and became a Free City . Archbishop Sigfried II von Westerburg was forced to reside in Bonn . The archbishop nevertheless preserved the right of capital punishment. Thus the municipal council (though in strict political opposition towards the archbishop) depended upon him in all matters concerning criminal justice. This included torture,
3294-479: The Cologne Bonn Region is home to 3,573,500 living on 4,415/km (11,430/sq mi). It is part of the polycentric megacity region Rhine-Ruhr with a population of over 11,000,000 people. There were 551,528 women and 527,773 men in Cologne. In 2021, there were 11,127 births in Cologne; 5,844 marriages and 1,808 divorces, and 10,536 deaths. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.3% under
3416-503: The Cologne mark ) were used throughout Europe. The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterised by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women. As a free imperial city , Cologne was a self-ruling state within the Holy Roman Empire , an imperial estate with seat and vote at
3538-639: The Communist and Social Democrats members of the city assembly, and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed. Compared to some other major cities, however, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne. (Significantly, the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party in Reichstag elections had always been the national average.) By 1939, the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants. During World War II, Cologne
3660-759: The Coronation of the Virgin at the centre. Joan Holladay has discussed the iconography of the high altar in the cathedral. The most celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Shrine of the Three Kings , commissioned by Philip von Heinsberg, archbishop of Cologne from 1167 to 1191 and created by Nicholas of Verdun, begun in 1190. It is traditionally believed to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men , whose relics were acquired by Frederick Barbarossa at
3782-626: The Franks in 462. During the Middle Ages the city flourished as being located on one of the most important major trade routes between east and western Europe (including the Brabant Road , Via Regia and Publica). Cologne was a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the major members of the trade union Hanseatic League . It was one of the largest European cities in medieval and renaissance times. Prior to World War II ,
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3904-639: The French Republic (which had already occupied Cologne in 1794). Thus this region later became part of Napoleon's Empire. Cologne was part of the French Département Roer (named after the river Roer, German: Rur ) with Aachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernised public life, for example by introducing the Napoleonic code and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic code remained in use on
4026-718: The Imperial Diet , and as such had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defense of the Empire and maintain its own military force. As they wore a red uniform, these troops were known as the Rote Funken (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent"). They fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France in which
4148-628: The Kölsch language or in common parlance known as " Dicker Pitter "), was cast in 1922 and was the largest free-swinging bell in the world, until a new bell was cast in Innsbruck for the People's Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania. This bell is only rung on eight major holidays such as Easter and Christmas. On Thursday, 3 March 2022, landmark cathedrals across Europe chimed in unison "in
4270-591: The Royal Air Force in World War ;II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres (243 ha) of built-up area (61%), killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. The devastation was recorded by Hermann Claasen from 1942 until the end of the war, and presented in his exhibition and book of 1947 Singing in
4392-682: The Second Temple in the Siege of Jerusalem and the associated dispersion (diaspora) of the Jews , there is evidence of a Jewish community in Cologne. In 321 CE, Emperor Constantine approved the settlement of a Jewish community with all the freedoms of Roman citizens. It is assumed that it was located near the Marspforte within the city wall. The Edict of Constantine to the Jews is the oldest documented evidence in Germany. Early medieval Cologne
4514-510: The Shrine of the Three Kings , Cologne Cathedral is a major attraction for tourists and pilgrims, and is one of the oldest and most important pilgrimage sites of Northern Europe. Visitors can climb 533 stone steps of the spiral staircase to a viewing platform about 100 m (330 ft) above the ground. The platform gives a scenic view over the Rhine . The cathedral is a medieval building that
4636-455: The belfry of the south tower. With a weight of approximately 24,000 kilograms (53,000 lb), a clapper weighing about 700 kilograms (1,500 lb) and a diameter of 322 centimetres (10 ft 7 in), it is the second largest (horizontally mounted) freely swinging ringable bell in the world, after the bell of the People's Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest , Romania. When the bell
4758-538: The dialect spoken in Berlin , for example. As of 2015, 35.5% of the population belonged to the Catholic Church , the largest religious body, and 15.5% to the Protestant Church . Irenaeus of Lyons claimed that Christianity was brought to Cologne by Roman soldiers and traders at an unknown early date. It is known that in the early second century it was a bishop's seat. The first historical Bishop of Cologne
4880-944: The end of World War II above the ruins of the city of Cologne in 1945, and in 1990 the reunification of Germany . As a rule, St. Petersglocke rings solo for ten minutes before all the others, which join in accordance with the general ringing ordinance. However, not all South Tower bells will be rung every time. For the Feast of the Immaculate Conception bells 1–6 are rung and for the Christmas Eve Vigil bells 1–3. 50°56′28″N 6°57′26″E / 50.9411°N 6.9573°E / 50.9411; 6.9573 Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom , pronounced [ˌkœlnɐ ˈdoːm] , officially Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter )
5002-632: The fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region . Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region , the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centered on the left (west) bank of the Rhine , Cologne is located on the River Rhine ( Lower Rhine ), about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of
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5124-506: The 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire. Cologne lost its status as a free city during the French period. According to the Treaty of Lunéville (1801) all the territories of the Holy Roman Empire on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into
5246-527: The 1840s. The edifice was completed to its original medieval plan in 1880. The towers for its two huge spires give the cathedral the largest façade of any church in the world. Cologne's medieval builders had planned a grand structure to house the reliquary of the Three Kings and fit for its role as a place of worship for the Holy Roman Emperor . Despite having been left incomplete during
5368-454: The 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. The first was the growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strong visual focal point in Cologne's city centre and includes the KölnTurm , one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. The second was
5490-517: The Alps. Cologne is shown on the 4th century Peutinger Map . Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313, was the first known bishop of Cologne. The city was the capital of a Roman province until it was occupied by the Ripuarian Franks in 462. Parts of the original Roman sewers are preserved underneath the city, with the new sewerage system having opened in 1890. After the destruction of
5612-531: The Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty . Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn and later in Brühl on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status as electors , the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during
5734-538: The French in 1798, was reopened. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of the University of Strasbourg on the west bank of the Rhine, which reverted to France with the rest of Alsace . Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic (1919–33), and progress was made especially in public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and were copied by other German cities. Cologne competed to host
5856-588: The Milanese patricians should be regarded as the "inventors" of the relics is disputed in academic literature. In any case, between 1190 and 1225, the Shrine of the Three Kings was made for the highly respected saints in Cologne, which is considered one of the most sophisticated goldsmith's works of the Middle Ages; the shrine was placed in the center of the Old Cathedral. Cologne thus became an internationally renowned place of pilgrimage in Europe. To oversee
5978-430: The North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Bonn , the former capital of West Germany . The city's medieval Cologne Cathedral ( Kölner Dom ) was the world's tallest building 1880–1890 and is today the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in the world . It was constructed to house the Shrine of the Three Kings and is a globally recognized landmark and one of
6100-453: The Olympics, and a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, the prohibition of civil aviation was lifted and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport soon became a hub for national and international air traffic, second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport . The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to the Nazi Party and other extreme-right parties. The Nazis then arrested
6222-502: The age of 18, and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. 203 people in Cologne were over the age of 100. According to the Statistical Office of the City of Cologne, the number of people with a migrant background is at 40.5% (436,660). 2,254 people acquired German citizenship in 2021. In 2021, there were 559,854 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18; 51% of all households were made up of singles. 8% of all households were single-parent households. The average household size
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#17327797113276344-399: The airport, where temperatures are classified). Still temperatures can vary noticeably over the course of a month with warmer and colder weather. Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year with a light peak in summer due to showers and thunderstorms. The progressing climate change can be seen by looking at the climate data of the previous decade with lower mean temperatures. Cologne
6466-432: The archbishops of Cologne first gained noteworthy secular power when bishop Bruno was appointed as duke by his brother Otto I , King of Germany . In order to weaken the secular nobility, who threatened his power, Otto endowed Bruno and his archiepiscopal successors with the prerogatives of secular princes, thus establishing the Electorate of Cologne , formed by the temporal possessions of the archbishopric and included in
6588-422: The architectural rolemodel for numerous churches in the early Holy Roman Empire . It was built in the Carolingian tradition as a basilica with two choirs, with the east choir dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus and the more important choir in the west to the memory of Saint Peter . Through its patronage, but also in its architecture, Hildebold Cathedral made reference to Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and
6710-488: The availability of trade opportunities. The intersection of these trade routes was the basis of Cologne's growth. By the end of the 12th century, Archbishop Phillip von Heinsberg enclosed the entire city with walls . By 1300 the city population was 50,000–55,000. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League in 1475, when Frederick III confirmed the city's imperial immediacy. Cologne was so influential in regional commerce that its systems of weights and measurements (e.g.
6832-408: The bell received a new, lighter clapper (approx. 600 kilograms [1,300 lb]), and it was rotated approximately 20 degrees so that the clapper did not strike the damaged area. On 6 January 2011, the clapper broke and dropped on the floor below. The four earthquake sensors in the cathedral registered it. As it could not be repaired, a new one was cast and was installed in December of the same year. It
6954-455: The bombings had damaged the foundations of the Dom, archaeological excavations began in 1946 under the leadership of Otto Doppelfeld and were concluded in 1997. One of the most meaningful excavations of churches, they revealed previously unknown details of earlier buildings on the site. Repair and maintenance work is constantly being carried out in the building, which is rarely free of scaffolding, as wind, rain, and pollution slowly eat away at
7076-432: The building. A large stone statue of St Christopher looks down towards the place where the earlier entrance to the cathedral was, before its completion in the late 19th century. The nave has many 19th century stained glass windows. A set of five on the south side, called the Bayernfenster , were a gift from Ludwig I of Bavaria , and strongly represent the painterly German style of the time. Externally, particularly from
7198-422: The cathedral (Marzellenstrasse/Trankgasse) was the site of intense combat between American tanks of the 3rd Armored Division and a Panther Ausf. A of Panzer brigade 106 Feldherrnhalle. A nearby Panther, a German medium tank, was sitting by a pile of rubble near a train station right by the twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral. The Panther successfully knocked out two Sherman tanks, killing three men, before it
7320-432: The cathedral during this time. Also as part of the events of World Youth Day, Cologne Cathedral hosted a televised gala performance of Beethoven 's Missa Solemnis , performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Choir conducted by Gilbert Levine . On 25 August 2007, the cathedral received a new stained glass window in the south transept . The 113 m (1,220 sq ft) glass work
7442-614: The cathedral masons' guild around 1280. Other works of art are in the Cathedral Treasury. Embedded in the interior wall are a pair of stone tablets on which are carved the provisions formulated by Archbishop Englebert II (1262–67) under which Jews were permitted to reside in Cologne. Cologne Cathedral has two pipe organs by Klais Orgelbau : the Transept Organ, built in 1948, and the Nave Organ, built in 1998. Cathedral organists have included Josef Zimmermann , Clemens Ganz (1985–2001) and Winfried Bönig (2001). The cathedral has eleven church bells, four of which are medieval. The first
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#17327797113277564-440: The cathedral without scaffolding." Regular renovation work is required due to sporadic earthquake damage. For example, during the 1992 Roermond earthquake , the 400 kg finial on the eastern pinnacle of the southern transept gable broke off, smashed through the roof and damaged the roof truss. Four other finials were loosened. From May to November 2021, a remote-controlled drone took 200,000 high-resolution photos of all parts of
7686-403: The city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built up area. During the Bombing of Cologne in World War II , Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies , which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of " Operation Millennium ", the first 1,000 bomber raid by
7808-493: The city fell to him in the Battle of Cologne . Charles fled to the Eifel mountains, rallied supporters and took the city back that same year after defeating Chilperic in the Battle of Amblève . Cologne had been the seat of a bishop since the Roman period; under Charlemagne , in 795, bishop Hildebold was promoted to archbishop . In the 843 Treaty of Verdun Cologne fell into the dominion of Lothair I 's Middle Francia – later called Lotharingia ( Lower Lorraine ). In 953,
7930-636: The city had undergone occupations by the French (1794–1815) and the British (1918–1926), and was part of Prussia beginning in 1815. Cologne was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during World War II. The bombing reduced the population by 93% mainly due to evacuation, and destroyed around 80% of the millennia-old city center. The post-war rebuilding has resulted in a mixed cityscape, restoring most major historic landmarks like city gates and churches (31 of them being Romanesque ). The city nowadays consists of around 25% pre World War II buildings and boasts around 9,000 historic buildings. Cologne
8052-471: The city, the remains of which can be seen to this day. The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers, and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very densely built-up area within the city itself. During World War I Cologne was the target of several minor air raids but suffered no significant damage. Cologne
8174-500: The conquest of Milan in 1164. The shrine takes the form of a large reliquary in the shape of a basilican church, made of bronze and silver, gilded and ornamented with architectonic details, figurative sculpture, enamels and gemstones. The shrine was opened in 1864 and was found to contain bones and garments. Near the sacristy is the Gero Crucifix , a large crucifix carved in oak and with traces of paint and gilding. Believed to have been commissioned around 960 for Archbishop Gero, it
8296-417: The costs, did not want this bell either. Another attempt took place on 3 October 1874. The colossal bell was shipped to Cologne and on 13 May 1875, installed in the cathedral. This Kaiserglocke was eventually melted in 1918 to support the German war effort. The Kaiserglocke was the largest free-swinging bell in history. The 24-tonne St. Petersglocke ("Bell of St. Peter", " Decke Pitter " in
8418-414: The east choir, but almost the entire cathedral; the Shrine of the Three Kings was saved from the fire. The western parts of Hildebold Cathedral were provisionally rebuilt and were only taken down after 1322, when the Gothic choir was completed and construction of the Gothic nave began. The foundation stone was laid on Saturday, 15 August 1248, by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden . The eastern arm
8540-433: The end a strip of territory along the left Bank of the Rhine east of Jülich , as well as the Duchy of Westphalia on the other side of the Rhine, beyond Berg and Mark . By the end of the 12th century, the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. Besides being prince elector, he was Archchancellor of Italy as well, technically from 1238 and permanently from 1263 until 1803. Following
8662-400: The end of 1945, however, the population had already recovered to approximately 450,000. By the end of the war, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis. The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. The synagogue on Roonstraße was rebuilt in 1959. Despite Cologne's status as the largest city in the region, nearby Düsseldorf
8784-518: The enormous costs, while the Prussian state supplied the remaining third. The state saw this as a way to improve its relations with the large number of Catholic subjects it had gained in 1815, but especially after 1871, it was regarded as a project to symbolize German nationhood. Work resumed in 1842 to the original design of the surviving medieval plans and drawings, but using more modern construction techniques, including iron roof girders . The nave
8906-545: The expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by contemporary buildings. Cologne was designated as one of the Fortresses of the German Confederation . It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of Verdun and Liège ) with two fortified belts surrounding
9028-466: The façade from a distance of five to seven meters and assembled them into a digital 3D model of the cathedral, which offers a very accurate representation with 25 billion polygons. This makes it possible to precisely document the current condition and the need for conservation and restoration, even in remote areas. The 3D model has a size of 50 gigabytes. The cost of creating the model was in the six-figure range. The ground plan design of Cologne Cathedral
9150-623: The focus of the conflict. In 1837 the archbishop of Cologne, Clemens August von Droste-Vischering , was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Catholics and Protestants ( Mischehenstreit ). In 1874, during the Kulturkampf , Archbishop Paul Melchers was imprisoned before taking asylum in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to
9272-586: The foundation walls of the Carolingian basilica have been revealed by the cathedral excavations. On 23 July 1164, the Archbishop of Cologne and Imperial Archchancellor Rainald of Dassel brought the bones of the Three Wise Men from Milan to Cologne, which was perceived as a "propaganda success". The relics had been left to the archbishop by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa from his spoils of war. They had been considered worthy of veneration at least since their transfer. Whether Rainald von Dassel himself or
9394-536: The furnace. Cologne – Remains of an old city . Cologne was taken by the American First Army in early March 1945 during the Invasion of Germany after a battle . By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. By
9516-884: The left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch ) was introduced in the German Empire . In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna , Cologne was made part of the Kingdom of Prussia , first in the Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and then the Rhine Province . The permanent tensions between the Catholic Rhineland and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in
9638-458: The medieval period, Cologne Cathedral eventually became unified as "a masterpiece of exceptional intrinsic value" and "a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe". In Cologne, only the telecommunications tower is higher than the cathedral. Maternus of Cologne was the first bishop of Cologne in around 313. However, Cologne's Christian community, still small at this time, did not gather in
9760-646: The most visited sights and pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The cityscape is further shaped by the Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne . Cologne is famous for Eau de Cologne , which has been produced in the city since 1709; "cologne" has since come to be a generic term. Cologne was founded and established in Germanic Ubii territory in the 1st century CE as the Roman Colonia Agrippina , hence its name. Agrippina
9882-399: The new clapper. The old engines worked with 750 rpm. In 2016, it was discovered that uneven striking of the clapper meant that the “Dicke Pitter” was no longer emitting its customary sound. The Cologne University of Applied Sciences and the cathedral construction authority developed a new mount. In addition, a new corrosion protection product was developed by Dörken MKS-Systeme . The bell
10004-526: The number of bells. This was facilitated by Kaiser Wilhelm I who gave French bronze cannon, captured in 1870–71, for this purpose. The 22 pieces of artillery were displayed outside the cathedral on 11 May 1872. Andreas Hamm in Frankenthal used them to cast a bell of over 27,000 kilos on 19 August 1873. The tone was not harmonious and another attempt was made on 13 November 1873. The Central Cathedral Association, which had agreed to take over
10126-439: The original sandstone. The cathedral works (Dombauhütte) has already tested numerous means of preserving the stones. A convincing method has not yet been found. In addition, the iron anchors and dowels that hold the many parts of the architectural decoration are also beginning to rust. They are threatening to crack the stones and need to be replaced with steel parts. "It is therefore foreseeable that no one alive today will ever see
10248-479: The outward thrust of the vault is taken by flying buttresses in the French manner. The eastern end has a single ambulatory , the second aisle resolving into a chevet of seven radiating chapels. Internally, the medieval choir is more varied and less mechanical in its details than the 19th-century building. It presents a French style arrangement of very tall arcade , a delicate narrow triforium gallery lit by windows and with detailed tracery merging with that of
10370-591: The permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which made Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe. Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair , the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s, were rented out to RTL , Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters. Cologne
10492-496: The pilgrim crowds, an office of custos regum ("guardian of the kings") was established after 1162. However, the only narrow side portal of the cathedral was not very suitable for the crowds of pilgrims, as it had to be used as an entrance and an exit at the same time. With the construction of the Gothic cathedral in 1248, the Old Cathedral was to be demolished step by step. However, careless demolition work and fire destroyed not only
10614-437: The poor sound quality and the inadequate tone. Its metal was used for war purposes. During its thirty-year life it had regularly been put out of service to attempt to fix the inappropriate sound. Because of this the bell was nicknamed Große Schweigerin , or "big silence". In 1951, a 110 centimetres (3.6 ft) long crack appeared on the bell. It was welded in 1956 by the company Lachenmeyer from Nördlingen . After repairs,
10736-450: The sentence for which was only allowed to be handed down by the episcopal judge known as the greve. This legal situation lasted until the French conquest of Cologne. Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's archbishop, Rainald of Dassel , gave the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they had been taken from Milan ). Besides
10858-488: The small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the Rote Funken . The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the Electorate of Cologne , which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the majority of archbishops were drawn from
10980-470: The stones. The Dombauhütte , established to build the cathedral and keep it in repair, employs skilled stonemasons for the purpose. Half the costs of repair and maintenance are still borne by the Dombauverein . On 18 August 2005, Pope Benedict XVI visited the cathedral during his apostolic visit to Germany, as part of World Youth Day 2005 festivities. An estimated one million pilgrims visited
11102-599: The structure of the nave between the west front and the eastern arm, but during the 16th century this also stopped. With the 19th-century Romantic enthusiasm for the Middle Ages , and spurred by the discovery of the original plan for the façade, the Protestant Prussian Court working with the church, committed to complete the cathedral. It was achieved by civic effort; the Central-Dombauverein , founded in 1842, raised two-thirds of
11224-405: The third largest city by area. The population density was 2,700/km (7,000/sq mi). Cologne first reached the population of 1,000,000 in 1975 due to the incorporation of Wesseling , however this was reversed after public opposition. In 2009 Cologne's population again reached 1,000,000 and it became one of the four cities in Germany with a population exceeding 1 Million. The metropolitan area of
11346-420: The three magi Cologne preserves the relics of Saint Ursula and Albertus Magnus . Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west as well as the main south–north Western Europe trade route, Venice to Netherlands; even by the mid-10th century, merchants in the town were already known for their prosperity and luxurious standard of living due to
11468-434: The upper parts of the nave and transept, shows the most intensive weathering . It is therefore constantly being renewed and until the 1980s was preferably replaced with Londorf basalt lava, which is considered to be very weather-resistant, but is not sandy beige, but grey in color. Since the 1990s, however, the cathedral master builders have endeavored to carry out the restoration with stones that come as close as possible to
11590-528: The war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already, to a certain degree, evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier when most of the city centre was in ruins. The destruction of 95% of the city centre, including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches such as St. Gereon , Great St. Martin , St. Maria im Kapitol and several other monuments in World War II, meant
11712-416: The weather from all sides and are attacked by water, the sulphur content of the air and bird droppings. Especially from the 1960s onwards, acid rain severely affected the stones and turned them increasingly black. It was only from the 1990s onwards that air pollution control measures reduced the level of pollution. The Schlaitdorf sandstone , which was used from 1842 onwards for the transept façades and
11834-540: The wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007. From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire under Postumus , Marius , and Victorinus . In 310, under emperor Constantine I , a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centers in the Roman Empire north of
11956-423: The windows above. The clerestory windows are tall and retain some old figurative glass in the lower sections. The whole is united by the tall shafts that sweep unbroken from the floor to their capitals at the spring of the vault. The vault is of plain quadripartite arrangement. The choir retains a great many of its original fittings, including the carved stalls, despite French Revolutionary troops having desecrated
12078-482: The world for four years until the completion of the Washington Monument . The twin spires of the cathedral were an easily recognizable navigational landmark for Allied aircraft bombing during World War II . The cathedral suffered fourteen hits by aerial bombs during the war. Badly damaged, it nevertheless remained standing in an otherwise completely flattened city. On 6 March 1945, an area west of
12200-455: Was Saint Maternus . Thomas Aquinas studied in Cologne in 1244 under Albertus Magnus . Cologne is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cologne . According to the 2011 census, 2.1% of the population was Eastern Orthodox , 0.5% belonged of an Evangelical Free Church and 4.2% belonged to further religious communities officially recognized by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (such as Jehovah's Witnesses ). There are several mosques, including
12322-585: Was 1.88. Cologne residents with a foreign citizenship as of 31 December 2021 is as follows: Cologne is home to 90,000 people of Turkish origin and is the second largest German city with Turkish population after Berlin . Cologne has a Little Istanbul in Keupstraße that has many Turkish restaurants and markets. Famous Turkish-German people like rapper Eko Fresh and TV presenter Nazan Eckes were born in Cologne. Colognian or Kölsch ( Colognian pronunciation: [kœɫːʃ] ) (natively Kölsch Platt )
12444-456: Was a Military Area Command Headquarters ( Militärbereichshauptkommandoquartier ) for Wehrkreis VI (headquartered at Münster ). Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations in Bonn , Siegburg , Aachen , Jülich , Düren , and Monschau . Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment. The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on
12566-405: Was a close advisor to Charlemagne and died in 818. However, it is unclear how much the bishop contributed to the building. He probably started the new construction, which Charlemagne also generously supported. The bishop's residence was originally located next to the cathedral. With a length of around 95 meters, Hildebold Cathedral was one of the largest Carolingian churches ever built and became
12688-520: Was based closely on that of Amiens Cathedral , as is the style and the width to height proportion of the central nave. The plan is in the shape of a Latin Cross , as is usual with Gothic cathedrals. It has two aisles on either side, which help support one of the very highest Gothic vaults in the world, being nearly as tall as that of the Beauvais Cathedral , much of which collapsed. Externally
12810-438: Was built very solidly from a structural point of view. At the same time, however, the stone structure requires continuous maintenance and renovation. The cathedral's master builder Barbara Schock-Werner said: "Cologne Cathedral without scaffolding is not a pipe dream, but a nightmare. It would mean that we would no longer be able to afford the cathedral." In fact, the completed cathedral was only visible without scaffolding for
12932-480: Was cast in 1923, the bell-founder refused to take German marks as a payment because of the hyper-inflation . Instead the Cathedral Chapter paid 5,000 US dollars . The predecessor of the bell was the "Emperor's Bell" (orig. German: Kaiserglocke ) or Gloriosa ("Glorious") of 1873 which at 27,180 kilograms (59,920 lb) was even heavier than the St. Peter's bell. In 1918 it was melted down, because of
13054-547: Was chosen as the political capital of the federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia . With Bonn being chosen as the provisional federal capital ( provisorische Bundeshauptstadt ) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (then informally West Germany ), Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between two important political centres. The city became–and still is–home to a number of federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990, Berlin
13176-408: Was completed and the towers were added. The bells were installed in the 1870s. The largest bell is St. Petersglocke . The completion of Germany's largest cathedral was celebrated as a national event on 15 October 1880, 632 years after construction had begun. The celebration was attended by Emperor Wilhelm I . With a height of 157.38 m (516.3 ft), it was the tallest building in
13298-454: Was completed under the direction of Master Gerhard , was consecrated in 1322 and sealed off by a temporary wall so it could be used as the work continued. Eighty-four misericords in the choir date from this building phase. . This work ceased in 1473, leaving the south tower complete to the belfry level and crowned with a huge crane that remained in place as a landmark of the Cologne skyline for 400 years. Some work proceeded intermittently on
13420-504: Was created by the German artist Gerhard Richter with the €400,000 cost paid by donations. It is composed of 11,500 identically sized pieces of coloured glass resembling pixels , randomly arranged by computer, which create a colourful "carpet". Since the loss of the original window in World War II, the space had been temporarily filled with plain glass. The then archbishop of the cathedral, Cardinal Joachim Meisner , who had preferred
13542-414: Was destroyed by a T26E3 Pershing , nicknamed Eagle 7, minutes later. Film footage of that battle survives. Repairs of the war damage were completed in 1956. A repair to part of the northwest tower , carried out in 1944 using poor-quality brick taken from a nearby ruined building, remained visible as a reminder of the war until 2005, when it was restored to its original appearance. To investigate whether
13664-456: Was especially successful, though the heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in the Ruhr area . The cathedral , started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly founded German empire and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at
13786-459: Was later discovered that the accident happened because the clapper had not been correctly installed in the 1950s, thus increasing wear, which consequently led to material degradation. The new clapper weighs approx. 600 kilograms (1,300 lb) and is 3.20 metres (10 ft 6 in) long. It was installed on 2 December 2011, and was first rung on 7 December 2011. The workers installed two new electric ringing engines (500 rpm), which harmonized with
13908-510: Was later dropped (except in Latin), and Colonia became the name of the city in its own right, which developed into modern German as Köln . Cologne , the French version of the city's name, has become standard in English as well. Cologne functioned as the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and as the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until occupied by
14030-479: Was made the capital of Germany. In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble". Schwarz designed the master plan for reconstruction in 1947, which included the construction of several new thoroughfares through the city centre, especially the Nord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after
14152-659: Was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine until 1926, under the terms of the Armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty . In contrast with the harsh behaviour of the French occupation troops in Germany, the British forces were more lenient to the local population. Konrad Adenauer , the mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and later a West German chancellor, acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially since Britain had opposed French demands for
14274-587: Was part of Austrasia within the Frankish Empire . Cunibert, made bishop of Cologne in 623, was an important advisor to the Merovingian King Dagobert I and served with domesticus Pepin of Landen as tutor to the king's son and heir Siegebert III, the future king of Austrasia. In 716, Charles Martel commanded an army for the first time and suffered the only defeat of his life when Chilperic II , King of Neustria , invaded Austrasia and
14396-462: Was placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list, as the only Western site in danger, due to plans to construct several high-rise buildings nearby, which would have visually impacted the site. The cathedral was removed from the "in danger" list in 2006, following the authorities' decision to limit the heights of buildings constructed near and around the cathedral. As a World Heritage Site and host to
14518-594: Was redesigned after a 1993 flood, which resulted in heavy damage. In the Roman Empire, the city was large and rich with a population of 40,000 in 100–200 AD. The city was home to around 20,000 people in 1000 AD, growing to 50,000 in 1200 AD. The Rhineland metropolis still had 50,000 residents in 1300 AD. Cologne is the fourth-largest city by population in Germany after Berlin , Hamburg and Munich . As of 31 December 2021, there were 1,079,301 people registered as living in Cologne in an area of 404.99 km (156.37 sq mi), which makes Cologne
14640-525: Was regarded as the St. Peter's Basilica of the North. This was intended to underline Cologne's claim to be a holy city and faithful daughter of the Roman Church. The so-called reliquary-staff of Saint Peter and the chains of Saint Peter were among the church's most important relics. The Hillinus Codex from the 11th century shows Hildebold Cathedral in an unusually realistic depiction for the time. Today,
14762-573: Was the 3.8-tonne Dreikönigsglocke ("Bell of the Three Kings"), cast in 1418, installed in 1437, and recast in 1880. Two of the other bells, the Pretiosa (10.5 tonnes; at that time the largest bell in the Western world) and the Speciosa (5.6 tonnes) were installed in 1448 and remain in place today. During the 19th century, as the building neared completion, there was a desire to increase
14884-536: Was the focus of the 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany , with over 500 women reporting that they were sexually assaulted by persons of African and Arab appearance. The metropolitan area encompasses over 405 square kilometres (156 square miles), extending around a central point that lies at 50° 56' 33 latitude and 6° 57' 32 longitude. The city's highest point is 118 m (387 ft) above sea level (the Monte Troodelöh ) and its lowest point
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