"Famous Gothic Cathedral" Cologne by joanj

Cruising down the Rhine, and prior to reaching our landing stage, this lovely view of the Cathedral came into view. The day was a little hazy, and, as it seems whenever I visit cathedrals, they seem to have scaffolding and work in progress. (This was the same in Vienna).

This Gothic Cathedral has been declared a World Cultural Heritage Site, and is Germany's largest Cathedral.

The foundation stone was laid on the 15th August 1248. In the early 16th Century building work was halted partly due to lack of money. Around the turn of the 19th Century however, supporters of the German Romantic movement re-awakened public interest in the completion of the Cathedral.

In 1842 King Friedrich Wilhelm 1V laid the foundation stone for the continuation of the building work. The Cathedral was completed in 1880.

Cologne Cathedral survived World War 11, in spite of extensive bombing, although it was quite badly damaged. The Cathedral building firm is constantly working on it's maintenance and restoration, scaffolding is evidence of the continuous work on the facade.

Another lovely view of the Cathedral from the river Rhine