Why Did It Take 632 Years to Complete Cologne Cathedral?

A well-known example of Gothic architecture and German Catholicism that was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

At 515 ft.(157 m), the cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, and it features the second-tallest spires and is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.
This is Iconic Builds, and in this episode, we will look at the Cologne Cathedral, Germany's most famous landmark, which is flooded with 20.000 visitors daily.

Although The Cologne Cathedral began to be built in 1248, it took more than 600 years to finish; it still dominates the city's skyline. But the Cologne Cathedral has a history dating back to 1248, back to the early Christian period.

Christian churches have stood where the Cologne Cathedral now stands since the fourth century. The Cologne Cathedral was the tallest building in the world when it was finished on August 14, 1880, and remained so until 1884.

The Cologne Cathedral is home to numerous and diverse works of art. The 13th century saw the creation of the oldest stained-glass windows in the cathedral. A massive stained-glass window by Cologne-based artist Gerhard Richter finished in 2007, is more contemporary in design and a long-lasting replacement for 19th-century glass shattered during World War II. 

Nonetheless, the Cologne Cathedral Workshop's current key priorities are the maintenance and safeguarding of the priceless historical windows and the restoration of the stonework, which has been significantly harmed by weathering and climatic factors.

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[johannes_]

I'm form cologne and we local's have a saying that if the Cathedral is finished the world will end. Because it is so big and old that some part of it is alway under construction. So technically it never was finished.

[sergeanttrucker]

The most stunning building I've ever been in, or seen. Haunting really. Visited half a dozen times in my 7 years in Germany. The massive scale, and the amount dedication and labor that went into it, are hard to comprehend. To reproduce it today would cost billions.

[WhispyrAsmr]

I’ve seen that thing, it looks unreal, I looked up at it, and I couldn’t fathom that the structure was that big

[humzatariq]

I am currently sitting on a train leaving Köln. This is the first time İ have visited this place and İ have never seen something so beautiful, special, enchanting, surreal yet dark at the same time. Truly a masterpiece

[br]

Visited this magnificent structure today and am in awe.

[doola]

My mum went to a cathoderal in England, im not sure which one it was. When she went inside and sat down and had tears streaming down her face.

Overwhelming visuals and emotions

[Nikioko]

How long did that take to build Cologne Cathedral? 632 years, from 1248 to 1880. But the construction stalled for 300 years. Which perfectly describes the history of the city.
When the construction started, Cologne was the largest city in modern day Germany. And with the bones of the Three Wise Men as a relic, it was a major pilgrimage site, which made a larger cathedral necessary. And since Cologne was a wealthy member of the Hanseatic League, the rich population could afford to finance the new monument. But with the downfall of the Hanseatic League, the construction of the cathedral came to an end as well. For centuries, the unfinished church was a symbol of splendour in the city. The chancel was finished, and the west work was under construction, with a large treadmill-driven crane on the trunk of the southern spire. The nave was completely missing.
After the Congress of Vienna, Cologne and the rest of the Rhineland fell to Prussia. And the new protestant lords, with the upcoming nationalism, decided to complete the cathedral. For this endeavour, Master Gerhard's original plans had to be rediscovered. Luckily, a linen cloth with the original sketch of the west work was found in Prague. And so, with modern construction techniques, the church was finished in 1880 as the highest building in the world, until it was superseded by the Washington Monument four years later.
The roof truss is made by cast iron, rather than would, which saved the building from the bombs in WWII. And today, due to permanent restoration, you hardly see the cathedral without any scaffolds.

[budhijeevi]

I was watching those small to big sized things video where i saw this church and first thing came in my mind why the walls are black. ? Now i want to visit this church

[belstar]

Ah yes Germany the land of efficiency.

[megyntheinsaneytp]

I have been there twice it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (even though im Hindu)

[neiljosephbennett]

Perhaps Cologne Cathedral is the tallest "twin-spired" church in the world, but Ulm Minster's spire is taller, making it the tallest church of all. As for being the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe? A contentious issue - York Minster popularly holds that title, but Wikipedia lists the criteria for this claim.

[TreyS]

Crazy how crappy architecture turned out to be

[pianoredux]

The voiceover doesn't really answer the question posed by the video's title. It cites various facts post-1790 that sidestep examination of the intervening centuries.

[STRENGTH]

The architecture is amazing and it's seems like it could be the headquarters of Vlad The Impaler.

[Uthael_Kileanea]

Queue music: Grand Cathedral, Serious Sam OST

[Lifeisshortsee]

I had to see what everybody was talking about.
I can't believe this post
It was posted to my page on fb
And my phone won't stop beeping with views.

I can't find the comments there must be more videos out of this

[aeglehideseeker]

why did i read the thumbnail in Palpatines voice

[nadirmachadogoncalves]

The cathedral lost his window glasses during the ww II. Have they finish changing the glasses to the colourful glasses like that ones were there before the war?

[AVRochester]

Hasn't anybody Google the rumors about this place being haunted