Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral – officially the High Cathedral of Saint Peter – is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cologne, dedicated to the Apostle Peter.

At a glance

• Height: 157.22 m – after Ulm Minster, the second-tallest church in Germany
• Style: Gothic
• Begun: 1248 · Completed: 1880
• UNESCO World Heritage: since 1996

A building site spanning six centuries

The foundation stone was laid in 1248 on behalf of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, to a design by Master Gerhard. The building was only finished in 1880 – following plans by Ernst Friedrich Zwirner.

It was conceived as an episcopal church and as a monumental shrine for the relics of the Three Kings. On completion it was regarded as a national symbol.

The city's landmark

That the cathedral apparently survived the Second World War largely intact amid the ruined city was widely seen as a “miracle”. Today it is one of Germany's most visited landmarks.

Its roots reach back to late antiquity: Maternus, recorded around 313, was the first attested bishop of Cologne, and predecessor buildings on the cathedral hill can be traced to Roman and Merovingian times.