Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral)

Though we have walked by it many times in the last week, we paid a proper visit to the Cologne Cathedral yesterday and I have to say it did not disappoint.  A few points of interest regarding the Kölner Dom:

- it is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second tallest spire and largest facade of any church in the world
- it suffered 70 attacks via aerial bomb during World War II and did not collapse - the rest of Cologne was almost completely leveled after World War II.
- it is rumored that American soldiers used the inside of the cathedral as a rifle range in 1945
- an average of 20,000 people visit the cathedral every day
- it took 632 years to build, with construction beginning in August of 1248 and ending in August of 1880

Here are some closer pics of the main entrance, one looking straight ahead

 and up, up, up...

This is looking up from the north side of the cathedral.  Above on the right is scaffolding where workers are performing restoration.  There is pretty much always scaffolding somewhere on the structure as it needs constant repair to keep it safe from weather and pollution.

View from northeast corner or the back of the cathedral.  These pictures just can't capture how massive it is.

 East side of cathedral.

 Looking up on to the south side.

After exploring the outside of this massive building, we ventured indoors, and found it to be equally breathtaking.  Below is a view of the nave looking east.

 I loved the way the light was shining on the organ through the stained glass windows...

 Moving toward the east end of the nave...more beautiful light.

 Yet another organ in the northeast corner.

Matt was remarking on the stone that the cathedral was made of.  Looking at this incredible place it is no surprise that it took six centuries to build.

After visiting the Dom, we stopped off for a pretzel smothered in butter and then got K back to the hotel so he could stretch his legs.  Later on, we went to an Italian restaurant with some new friends we have made here and their two kiddos, ages 4 and 1 1/2.  Bruschetta, fresh salad, cheese pizza, gnocchi and red vino made for a delicious dinner.  We all walked home pleasantly full and called it a night.

To learn more about the Kölner Dom, visit Wikipedia - Cologne Cathedral.