By the Middle Ages, Cologne was one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire and in 1248 work began on its mighty cathedral, designed to house the relics of the Three Wise Men. Known as the Dom, it was once the world’s tallest building and is arguably still the world’s greatest Gothic edifice, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe." Cologne still attracts visitors from around the world, beautifully and centrally located between Rhine, cathedral and main station. The present building was opened in 1974 and is situated in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral. It was built on the walls of a Roman villa which was discovered in 1941 and which contained the world-famous Dionysos mosaic.
When viewed from a distance, especially from the river, the city, with its medieval towers and buildings, the whole surmounted by the majestic cathedral, is picturesque and imposing. The ancient walls and ditches, which formerly environed the city, were dismantled between 1881 and 1885, and the site of the old fortifications, bought from the government by the municipality, was converted into a fine boulevard, the Ring. The largest of these, the centrally arranged Marie portal is flanked on its northern side by the Dreiken portal (Three Kings) and, on its southern side by the Peters portal which is actually the only genuine medieval doorway to the cathedral.
The city's ecclesiastical heritage is one of its most striking features; it has a full dozen Romanesque churches and one of the world's largest and finest Gothic cathedrals. In the middle Ages it was a member of the powerful Hanseatic League, occupying a position of greater importance in European commerce than either London or Paris. In the shadow of the cathedral, the Hohenzollern Bridge empties out onto a promenade flanked by equestrian statues of the imperial family. A monumental flight of stairs leads from the Rhein to Heinrich. Inside, there was a plaque on the wall with a coat of arms: white, with a black cross voided per cross and per saltire in the center.
Wherever you go you will see the towers of the Cathedral showing you the way back. Here are a few tips if you are getting to know Cologne for the first time. You may remember that Germanicus took up residence at the place in 13 CE, and that his daughter Agrippa was born there.
The cathedral housed the relics of the three Magi, and there were many confraternities and voluntary religious associations. The University of Cologne had a relatively conservative faculty, which publicly burned Luther's works in 1520. Cologne's mighty cathedral towers just a stone's throw from the banks of the Rhine. Modeled on a French design and built entirely in a high-Gothic style, it is Cologne's most famous landmark and one of the largest cathedrals in Germany.
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