Cologne Cathedral in Germany, resort of Cologne
Rating: 9,2/10 (1029 votes)  Cologne Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and a popular landmark in the city. The cathedral amazes with its grandeur, monumentality and at the same time with its grace and lightness, delicacy of forms, aspiration upward. Currently, the Cologne Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe. The construction of the Cologne Cathedral began in the 13th century, on the site of the burned down old temple dating from the 9th century. Initially, the construction was conceived as something grandiose – the inhabitants of the city wanted to have their own cathedral, surpassing the size and beauty of the French churches. Legend has it that Gerhard, the architect of the Cologne cathedral, had to turn to the devil for help, as he could not independently complete the drawings. The devil demanded the architect's soul for the deal, to which he agreed. With the first roosters, their agreement was to come into effect, but Gerhard's wife overheard the conversation and decided to save her husband. Getting up in the morning, she crowed. The devil was not long in coming. When he appeared, he gave the drawings and took the woman's soul, confident that this was Gerhard. After the disclosure of the deception, the Devil declared that Cologne would prosper only until the Cologne Cathedral was built. Since that time, the cathedral continues to be built and completed. The construction of the cathedral was carried out over six centuries. Construction work was constantly hampered by epidemics, wars and lack of funds, with the result that this truly epic construction was delayed until 1880. But even after this official date of completion of construction, construction work continued here and continues to this day. The cathedral is made in the form of a huge five-nave basilica made of trachyte and reddish stone. The structure is 144 meters long and about 60 meters high. The western facade of the building is decorated with two colossal towers, which are crowned with pointed spiers. The towers reach a height of 157 meters, which at the time of the completion of construction made the cathedral the tallest building in Europe for 4 years. Outside, the building is decorated with a large number of window pilasters, vials, through gratings, flying buttresses and galleries. The main portal of the cathedral is decorated with sculptures, carvings and pointed arches. The main hall is surrounded by numerous chapels and chapels, stellar vaults are supported by 44-meter columns. One of the attractions of the cathedral – the Peter bell, which is the world's largest operating bell. The bell weighs 24 tons. 'Peter' was cast in 1923, the material was the metal of the cannons captured in 1871 from the French. The size of the cathedral and its height surprisingly saved it from destruction during the bombing of Cologne by the allied aviation during the Second World War II: by an unspoken agreement of the pilots, it served as a kind of reference point for them, so it was never touched. Nowadays, Cologne Cathedral is not only a place for a church service, but also a real museum, We also recommend reading Russian Church in Germany, Baden-Baden resort Topic: Cologne Cathedral in Germany, resort of Cologne. |
