Address: Domkloster 4, 50667 Köln, Germany
Construction started: August 15, 1248. Opened: 1880
Architectural style: Gothic architecture
Height: 157 m
Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus) is a Roman Catholic cathedral church in the city of Cologne, Germany. It houses the Archbishop of Cologne and the Archdiocese of Cologne’s administration.
At 157 m (515 ft), the cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe, the second tallest church in Europe after Ulm Minster, and the third tallest church of any kind in the world.
The construction of this Gothic cathedral began in 1248 and was not completed until 1880. The site had already been occupied by several previous structures when construction began. The first may have been for grain storage and was possibly succeeded by a Roman temple erected by Mercurius Augustus. However, from the fourth century, the site was occupied by Christian buildings, including a square edifice known as the “oldest cathedral” that was commissioned by Maternus, the first bishop of Cologne.
It is a well-known monument of German Catholicism and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
