Cologne Cathedral: 10 Facts you should know about it

Among all the greatest heritage sites in our world, Germany’s Cologne Cathedral is one of them. It is considered a UNESCO Heritage site. And every year it received thousands of people in this church. With time Cologne Cathedral becomes one of the most popular and visited tourist spots in Germany. There are so many hidden and interesting things are related to this Heritage site that people may do not know. A tourist might get surprised to know about all the secrets and interesting facts of this greatest and gracious church.

Here in this article, we are going to offer you all those interesting facts about Cologne Cathedral which will totally amaze you. The beautiful creation inside the church simply amazed all its viewers. Every year people come to this place just to worship and seek blessings from God. Other people come to this place just following the footprints of their forefathers who had been walked into this church. It is one of the tallest churches in the Roman Catholic Cathedral in cologne. The cathedral was famous because most of the archbishops come to this place to seat. Additionally, with passing time it becomes one of the most popular and attractive tourist spots for Germany. However, the church portrays both Gothic architecture and German Catholicism equally. 

10 interesting facts of Cologne Cathedral listed below

Here we are going to share all those beautiful and interesting stories behind the Cologne Cathedral in detail. Let us join in our discussion to find out all those secrets behind this tallest church in Germany. 

1). Construction started in the 13th century and finished in the 19th century

The construction of Cologne Cathedral took a lot of years to finish. The construction started in the year 1248 and finished around 1560. Before the cathedral was set up at his place it was a grain place and a roman temple at first. According to the oldest Cathedral in the 4th century, this cathedral was occupied by Christian buildings. In the later time, Maternus was assigned as the first Bishop of this church. Two Graves were found on the spot of the present Cathedral. One of the graves was a boy and another one was for a girl they known as Wisigard.

2). Foundation laid on Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden 

The construction of the cathedral started with the comment of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden. In the year 1248 on 15th August at first, the construction of the cathedral started. Subsequently in the year 1322, the east arm part was completed successfully. The architectures made a temporary wall because the construction of the cathedral was started. To seal the rest of the cathedral and the Eastern side they had to make the temporary wall. The construction of the west side started in the 14th century under the command of Master Michael. Unfortunately in the year 1473, the work has been halted for a few moments to complete the left south side. The visitor will see a huge crane on the spot of the Cathedral which was remained there for four centuries as a Landmark of the Cathedral skyline. 

3). A shrine for the three wise men will be found

The most cherished treasure part of the Cathedral is that inside the church there will be found a shrine. The holy shrine was made with the bones of three wise men. The pilgrims brought the shrine in the middle ages to Cathedral. However one of the archbishops of Cologne, Rainald of Dassel returned the relics of three wise men to Italy in 1164. The relics of those three wise men identify the religious significance and every year pilgrims come from different parts to visit the holy shrine. Probably this is the main reason that cologne Cathedral exists today Among Us and every year in January Month 6 people are allowed to see the holy shrine inside the church. 

4). The church came in World Heritage danger list once

The Cathedral becomes the UNESCO World Heritage site list in 1996. It was considered as cultural heritage site in that year and an important site as well. However, soon in the year 2004, the cathedral was also included in the danger list Of UNESCO World Heritage. The reason behind being on the danger list of UNESCO World Heritage is that a number of tall buildings were made around the cathedral. The tall buildings can totally hide the cathedral church. To avoid the situation the authorities ordered and set a limit for the new constructing buildings. After passing the order by the authorities in the same year the cathedral was removed from the danger list of UNESCO World Heritage. 

5). The cathedral has a typical Gothic architecture

The designs of the cathedral church similarly follow the Amiens Cathedral. Everything is  similar to Amiens Cathedral including the Style, height, and ground planning equally. The aerial view of the cathedral was similar to a Gothic Cathedral like a Latin cross. To support the Highest Gothic vaults there will be found two aisles on each side. It totally shows the French arrangement and there will be found Windows in this arrangement equally. 

6). The second tallest church in Germany

The Cologne Cathedral is the main attraction of Germany and obviously an impressive attraction for all the visitors. The Cologne Cathedral is the third tallest church in the world and the second tallest church in Germany. It is also the tallest telecommunication tower in Germany. Another one best feature of this church is that it holds the third largest interior designs throughout the whole world. 

7). Cathedral can hold more than 20,000 people

The total area of the Cathedral is massive and has around 8000 square floors. It successfully received around 20 thousand people within the church. And this is the reason why Cathedral becomes the third-largest church in the world. Subsequently, within the church there will be found two seats, one is for the king and another one is for the pope. 

8). Cathedral has 11 bells, one weighs 24 tones

All the viewers will see 11 Bells on the upper section of the church. Subsequently, they will also find 8 Bells in the south spire cages and 3 bells in the ridge turret. The bell of the Three Kings was the first bell of the church and the weight of the bell was 3.4 tons. Subsequently in the year 1922, the Saint Peter’s largest Bell was installed in the church. And the total weight of the bell was 24 tons. 

9). This cathedral has the Madonna of Milan

The workshop of the cathedral is the constant thing and one of the interesting things about the church. The visitors will find the sculpture of Mary and Christ’s child inside the church. And people believed it was a miraculous sculpture. To visit and to receive the blessings from the miraculous sculpture every year thousands of people come to this church. 

10). It has largest medieval choir inside the church

Inside the cathedral, there will find 104 seats that hold medieval choirs of the 13th and 14th centuries. Even the pilgrims will find Painted statues, oak stalls, stained glass, and frescoed walls. 

Conclusion 

Therefore, these are the whole interesting stories of Cologne Cathedral which you should know before visiting the church in Germany. There may remain many more secrets related to this Cathedral. However, if we find any clue about the secrets then we will let you all know soon.