I visited this cathedral with my family when I was twelve, and even today at sixty, I remember it like it was yesterday and is still one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen.
I don’t care what film or picture you have seen, you literally cannot even begin to understand the experience of actual being there. For me, I drove to the cathedral and I remember seeing it growing on the horizon and it was like seeing the pyramids across a desert. Your brain is changed. Your whole perspective on life is expanded. Like the space program, it does this. I also remember seeing a Saturn V Rocket in person and just being staggered by the idea that humans did this. It is like standing under a waterfall, an invisible waterfall of the spirit that cleanses the sins of the world. What is that worth? There is no price. It’s worth any price. ❤️🔥👁️❤️🔥♾️🙏🏻
Wonderful documentary on an iconic church. I'd like to add a related personal story. As a college student in the 1980s, I spent a semester abroad studying in Cologne or "Alt Koelle" as the locals refer to it. My German father of the host family was a WWII veteran from the Kriegs Marine (German Navy) and told me a moving story about the cathedral. He had been captured at the end of the war and served some time in an allied camp as a prisoner of war. He was on a train with his fellow POWs from Cologne being repatriated after the war. As the train rounded a curve along the Rhein river, they saw the city had been destroyed by bombing, but then the spires of the old cathedral came into view, the men gasped...somehow, despite being hit and somewhat damaged, the grand old lady had survived the carpet bombing of the city, and was still proudly standing tall among the devastation and rubble of the flattened city. He said that to a man, the grizzled war veterans on the train, stood up and began to weep openly at the sight of this miracle.
Een onzinnig verhaal, dat stuk steen heeft het land niet kunnen vrijwaren van de ellende van oorlog en moord. Ja, misschien heeft het de pedofielen geholpen om hun lusten bot te vieren, meer niet.
What a magnificent story. My eyes are in tears. My father was also in WWII & although he is now gone I cherish his wonderful stories. He was a Seabee in the US Navy. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt story.
Cologne Cathedral is definitely on my bucket list. I live near Ulm and visited the Münster several times, no matter how often you see it it’s still breathtaking. I absolutely adore gothic architecture.
I have been to the Cathedral 3x times since 1989 and every time I walked away in absolute admiration of the building and everyone who was involved in building it.
This is an excellent documentary. It was so interesting to see all the challenges faced by these types of architectural monuments and the spirit of people to save them. I love the answer at 40:17. Cheers from Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Little known fact: My father was in the artillery battalion stationed about 10 km outside of Cologne during WWII. They usually flattened cities before advancing, but the forward spotters took it upon themselves and their teams to specifically avoid the cathedral. Because of that, the magnificent and enormous structure stands today. This was documented in their battalion history book.
@@anthonyromagnole2807 Hats off to your father and the spotters! And thanks for providing this information - it puts meat on the bones of this story, if you catch my drift.
I still remember the first time I visited the Cathedral. I was coming out of the train station and greeted by the Kölner Dom. I was in awe. I can’t forget that feeling. It‘s so wonderful!
This place is magical, i got tears in my eyes the moment i walked in. Since that moment it holds a special place in my heart. Greetings from Amsterdam to the people of Köln!❤
Thanks for your upload. In the 1950s, my mother and I went to the cathedral, and she was astounded. She remembered that the cathedral was twice as big. Turned out that the Germans had closed off half of the cathedral, because it was so heavily damaged. When I took the stairs to the top, I could see the destruction--it was massive. The hole on the ground was scary and extremely deep. Its nice to see how well the restoration turned out.
Actually, Sagreda familia in Barcelona is also next to railroad tracks of speed trains. How come in the 13th century people could build grand cathedrals but not now?. We need to protect all of cathedrals around the world because we can’t build such huge or even small cathedrals like that anymore.
I'm a native of Edinburgh. In my 70 years some buildings in the city centre have been replaced 3 times according to architectural fashion. The 11th Century Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, and many homes and buildings from 4 or 5 hundred years ago still function beautifully and don't suffer with cladding that could catch fire, or softening concrete. People have nothing in mind but money nowadays. Save on materials and charge a fortune because it can always be replaced. It's horrific how the throwaway society cares nothing for pride in construction.
As it took until 1880 for the cathedral to be completed, it doesn’t appear in this case 13th century people could build a grand cathedral. Barcelona as you point out is building a grand cathedral now.
@@francesconicoletti2547 strassburger cathedral was built largely back then. Cologne ran out of money at some point. That was the only reason for the building stop, not a lack of ability
Ernst Friedrich Zwirner... From 1833 he was the leading architect of Cologne Cathedral and was born in Jakobswalde [Kotlarnia] in Silesia. Its just 10 km from my home and to this day there is his parents grave :D fun fuct about this person who worked at this Cathedral
Excellent documentary as always. DW should cover the history of "Silent Nacht" creation in Oberndorf, Austria next time, since this is exactly the Christmas time!
The fact that these Gothic cathedrals were built without power tools or cranes and the stones were all cut and carved by hand, never ceases to amaze me.
I nave had the opportunity to visit the cathedral twice. It looms large and completely dwarfs the city around it. Impossible to get the full effect unless you see it in person. Incredibly impressive that something so huge could have been built so many hundreds of years ago - long before structural steel!
@@jackcharlie9322 they find steel ties holding rocks at seems , I’m sure the cathedral had iron strapping from the roof spires down to the ground in between stone slabs
It is my very own privilege to drive by this monument every day when I go to university. I live here all my life and since im a child I always have the same feeling of awe when I stand under it. It feels like standing ontop of a mountain looking down into a beautiful landscape. Only that you arr at the foot of an amazing wonder.
Thank you for presenting a brilliant, tragic, heart-warming, finally triumphant history of a structure that must stand as an inspiration for all--Survival!
Absolutely agree... I'm an atheist and yet everytime I hear/see someone answering a call, eating (gum included), being dressed as if they were going to the beach, etc. in a church, it really pisses me off. Just f... off to Disneyland...
@@leftpastsaturn67 It actually is. It’s much better for them than what I actually want to do. And rest assured that I hold you in the exact same regard I have for them.
A friend of mine told me that he feels really at home and safe whenever he sees this Cathedral. I've been living here for three years and now I can totally understand it.
I visited on a school trip in 1962. We walked in off the square, paid the 2DM in a wooden box, then walked around. I was impressed beyond belief, the cathedral is so large and richly decorted. I am used to the austere plain stone of English churches it is fabulous.
That's not really a fair comparison though is it? I know cathedrals ARE churches, but I'm going to assume you meant regular parish churches - and of course they are going to seem somewhat anticlimactic by comparison with not just even any old cathedral, but amongst the most magnificent to be found anywhere on the planet. That being said, may I also respectfully contend, that until the middle of the sixteenth century, England was as Catholic as anywhere else - and just as Gothic, Mediæval - and prone to superstition and excess as anyone else - with the architecture to match. The ancient English cathedrals are a match for any - Benedict XVI (presumably familiar enough with large and ancient churches....)was visibly awestruck and moved by Westminster Abbey when he came to England in 2010. Your comment leads me to suspect that you have not availed yourself of most, or any, of the splendours which dot this isle - if you had, it would be inconceivable that a complaint of "plainness" could be applied and an unequal comparison implied: Winchester, Salisbury, York, Gloucester, Worcester, Ely are my picks for your first half dozen. Any and all of the above are beyond compare. I suppose Canterbury would feel offended to be left off - and Bath, Norwich, Durham, Wells, Peterborough are all absolutely fabulous days out, most of the cathedrals there absolutely dripping with the curlicue serrations and astounding minute tracery in stone and wood that you favour - and you should see the just mentioned Westminster Abbey and while there, St Paul's - which while Baroque, not Gothic, makes up for its lack of intricately carved detail by its thumping great size, sense of incredible, mountainous solidity and one of the longest echos in the business. If you're lucky enough to catch the choir rehearsing - or even just the assistant sub organist - you'll be guaranteed to be blown away. In THAT sense, England, clearly Protestant by then, on the cusp of world primacy and nurturing in its bosom some of the greatest Enlightenment geniuses of the day - Wren, Newton, Boyle, Hooke, Hume, Marlborough - of course was going to project itself cockily and in a fresh new way, departing the gnarly, spooky Gothic of the Middle Ages for the very smoothest, whitest limestone and marble and neo Classical pediments, porticos, colonnades and domes. Anyway, there's no reason to be defensive since, as I said, any and all of the above palaces of ingenuity, determination and, let's be honest, (archi)episcopal/cardinalatial hubris - positively bristle with the sort of stunning detail you admire - quite rightly - at Cologne.... I m sure you will appreciate for yourself the impressions I have certainly had, from all of those spectacular places. And if you can't make it in person, try some of the better quality documentaries 🙂
You can not imagine how big and magnificent it is until you step out of the cologne main train station turn left and there it is in its full glory. It is really shoking.
Here I am in NYC jaw dropped at St Patricks cathedral. This church is next level. Down to the glasswork it’s an architectural marvel. I appreciate that they consider not just the religious aspects of it but the artistic and historical as well before any changes are made.
My German-born mother recalled that the location of the Koln Hauptbahnhof (central railway station) meant that the Kolner Dom was also hit by bombs. This was in contrast to the Aachen Cathedral, which was quite a distance from the Haupt Bahnhof and therefore was less scarred by bombing.
I visited here is 1975 as an American Serviceman - and ate at a McDonalds across the street. That was when there were few overseas McDonalds! It was a great day!
Yes, that’s exactly what happened to me, too. I walked over Mc.Donald’s across the road and went to the bathroom down the basement, then there was black-man at the door collecting money 💰 for using the restroom.
When I was there in 1974, there were very few tourists at all. My friend and I were nearly alone inside. There were no tours. It was wonderful to be there with barely a whisper of noise. In 1974 there were benches to sit on in the square. I see none in this video....a shame. Skateboarding in the square? How stupid, pointless and disrespectful. Same goes for any protest. In spite of what is stated here, I was told by many former Bomber Command Pilots of whom I interviewed, all told me that they tried to avoid hitting the cathedral. That was due to respect for history AND that the twin towers were a navigation aid that would be lost if destroyed. On most nights those 2 towers were visible at any height. One must recall too that just on one night alone, the RAF hit Koln with nearly 1,000 aircraft. Isn't that a point that proves that those pilots that I interviewed were telling the truth? During the entire war, the cathedral was only hit approx. 14 times, while the rest of the city was nearly flattened. Surely the cathedral was only hit by accident and never intentionally.
It's another wonderful documentary and historical coverage video of infamous Colon Chathedrals in Germany 🇩🇪... thank you, an excellent ( DW) documentary channel for sharing this wonderful documentary about ancient Roman trails, Medieval existence below this wonderful Cathedral in German history ..
Had the pleasure of living in the shadows of the Cathedral for five months in 2014. Got to see it every day. It really is a profound experience. On another note, she mentioned that there was no evidence that the Cathedral was not targeted in WWII. I have the evidence straight from a bomber navigator who was there. They did not have official orders to spare the Cathedral, however, bomber crews used the Cathedral as a navigation waypoint because it was visible more than 20 miles away. They did not want to eliminate something that was such a useful aid. The Cologne bombing raids were done at night, but they could tell where the Cathedral was because it blocked the light from the fires. So, while there may not have been documented evidence to indicate that the cathedral was not targeted, it was avoided as much as possible by the bomber crews.
I grew up in the 90s if I got caught leaping over church pews during a service my pastor and my grandma and my grandpa would take me out back and do the you know what to me whoop my behind
The Cologne Cathedral Plaza would be a busy area. Skateboards are a hazard to the people around. It was proper to remove them from the plaza. Now, they need to put a decibel limit on amplifiers.
Story of a feminist peasant with the Cathedral in the background was so touching. Like an interview with random pigeon leaving some dirt behind. Dark ages were not in the past. It is today!
Such a beautiful work of art and so proud of Cologne. Pity that some gargoyles were released too early from the edifices of the cathedral (explains why some were missing too!😂) and came to the grounds in the form of a skateboarder, a violent freespeecher, a robber, a vandal, and a fountain😮 trust that even gargoyles can turn a new leaf and work to restore this church. If you're mad at someone, take it elsewhere, not on sacred spaces ✨🕊️.
@@DWHistoryandCulture Oh,I thought I was subscribed your channel, but that was your documentary channel. Now I subscribed also your history and culture channel.thanks for reminding me.
It would be wonderful if a method could be found to clean the exterior stonework without damaging it. I would love to see the exquisite carved detailing come to life with the grime removed.
The craziest thing about it is the HUGE Historical excavation right below the floor, it's the biggest active one in Germany. You can book a tour, you can see the ruins of the previous church under the floor and the remains of a roman bath
An honest tale, making the certain spirit shine to our current days towards the end of this documentation - even for atheists. Well done, DW ! Thank you.
I live in cologne and unfortunately this beautiful iconic building is surrounded by the most ugly part of the city: roads, tunnels and a trainstation with crackheads. they sould have built a park around it or something. such a shame
This documentary is from 2017. Should've been mentioned in the title or, at the very least, in the description. Some documentaries (not saying this one in particular) don't age very well, the year of production is always important to know. Furthermore, it can look like clickbait without it.
The worlds impressive cathedrals are the spiritual architectural engineering and astronomicallineage of the pyramid buildersAnd whoever came before them
How on earth "Humans" managed to design and build such a magnificent church 700 years ago..Even with Todays technology it seems impossible...😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
Can charge 5 per person times 20,000 persons. My math says that is 100,000 monetary units per day. That will put a dent in the cleaning bill. Is that 36.5M? Each year? Wow.
its because hes talking out his ass bro , doesnt have a clue. the narrator said they built it in 70 years in 1300s when people had animal skins for their windows , yeah right , we have been lied to
Pity they couldn't resist bullsh*ting about it becoming the world's tallest structure in the 13th century, taking over from the "pyramids at Giza" (listen around 11:02). At 15:47, the drawing shows the building before the 19th century completion. The height of the roof ridge is only about 61m, which is less than half the current height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (about 138m).
DW is a favorite channel, but this report was not it's best. There weren't many history details. More than half the time is spent on other matters with endless shots of visitors.
You can't blame the Americans for putting the train station next to the Cathedral. You can't blame the Americans for the war either. You want to point a finger point it at Hitler. Point it at those who put the train station there.
lol…. To be honest ,the spires hold a unique place for me… on my first travel there they meant my brother and I had made a huge mistake. We were supposed to wake up in the Netherlands; we had never heard of splitting the train w passengers on board….
I sometimes wonder why we have to share the planet and its treasures with people who would damage, urinate on, graffiti or thieve from such a treasure. What is wrong with them??
I always remember how to spell Cologne by deliberately mispronouncing it in my head as "Co-log-nee", otherwise, I always miss the "g"... and bologna is "Bo-log-nah", and Lasagna is "Lah-sag-nah"... now, I DO say them correctly, it's just in my head when I'm writing/typing them.... ;-P
I visited this cathedral with my family when I was twelve, and even today at sixty, I remember it like it was yesterday and is still one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen.
You should come and see it again!
I don’t care what film or picture you have seen, you literally cannot even begin to understand the experience of actual being there. For me, I drove to the cathedral and I remember seeing it growing on the horizon and it was like seeing the pyramids across a desert. Your brain is changed. Your whole perspective on life is expanded. Like the space program, it does this. I also remember seeing a Saturn V Rocket in person and just being staggered by the idea that humans did this. It is like standing under a waterfall, an invisible waterfall of the spirit that cleanses the sins of the world. What is that worth? There is no price. It’s worth any price. ❤️🔥👁️❤️🔥♾️🙏🏻
@@spiralsun1Well said!❤
We must have a profound respect for this monument that stood long before us and will continue to stand long after us. Thank you for this documentary.
Wonderful documentary on an iconic church. I'd like to add a related personal story. As a college student in the 1980s, I spent a semester abroad studying in Cologne or "Alt Koelle" as the locals refer to it. My German father of the host family was a WWII veteran from the Kriegs Marine (German Navy) and told me a moving story about the cathedral.
He had been captured at the end of the war and served some time in an allied camp as a prisoner of war. He was on a train with his fellow POWs from Cologne being repatriated after the war. As the train rounded a curve along the Rhein river, they saw the city had been destroyed by bombing, but then the spires of the old cathedral came into view, the men gasped...somehow, despite being hit and somewhat damaged, the grand old lady had survived the carpet bombing of the city, and was still proudly standing tall among the devastation and rubble of the flattened city. He said that to a man, the grizzled war veterans on the train, stood up and began to weep openly at the sight of this miracle.
Thanks for sharing this story with us and our community!
Een onzinnig verhaal, dat stuk steen heeft het land niet kunnen vrijwaren van de ellende van oorlog en moord. Ja, misschien heeft het de pedofielen geholpen om hun lusten bot te vieren, meer niet.
What a magnificent story. My eyes are in tears. My father was also in WWII & although he is now gone I cherish his wonderful stories. He was a Seabee in the US Navy. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt story.
Cologne Cathedral is definitely on my bucket list. I live near Ulm and visited the Münster several times, no matter how often you see it it’s still breathtaking. I absolutely adore gothic architecture.
Truly striking. I will always remember seeing it for the first time in the 1980s.
I have been to the Cathedral 3x times since 1989 and every time I walked away in absolute admiration of the building and everyone who was involved in building it.
This is an excellent documentary. It was so interesting to see all the challenges faced by these types of architectural monuments and the spirit of people to save them. I love the answer at 40:17. Cheers from Kandy, Sri Lanka.
I have led several exchange groups to the top of the Dom as well as climbed the staircase on my own time. It truly is a sight to behold!
Little known fact: My father was in the artillery battalion stationed about 10 km outside of Cologne during WWII. They usually flattened cities before advancing, but the forward spotters took it upon themselves and their teams to specifically avoid the cathedral. Because of that, the magnificent and enormous structure stands today. This was documented in their battalion history book.
@@anthonyromagnole2807 Hats off to your father and the spotters! And thanks for providing this information - it puts meat on the bones of this story, if you catch my drift.
I still remember the first time I visited the Cathedral. I was coming out of the train station and greeted by the Kölner Dom. I was in awe. I can’t forget that feeling. It‘s so wonderful!
This place is magical, i got tears in my eyes the moment i walked in. Since that moment it holds a special place in my heart.
Greetings from Amsterdam to the people of Köln!❤
I’m planning to see this wonderful marvel in the spring.
Thanks for your upload. In the 1950s, my mother and I went to the cathedral, and she was astounded. She remembered that the cathedral was twice as big. Turned out that the Germans had closed off half of the cathedral, because it was so heavily damaged. When I took the stairs to the top, I could see the destruction--it was massive. The hole on the ground was scary and extremely deep. Its nice to see how well the restoration turned out.
Thanks for sharing this memory of yours!
Actually, Sagreda familia in Barcelona is also next to railroad tracks of speed trains.
How come in the 13th century people could build grand cathedrals but not now?.
We need to protect all of cathedrals around the world because we can’t build such huge or even small cathedrals like that anymore.
I'm a native of Edinburgh. In my 70 years some buildings in the city centre have been replaced 3 times according to architectural fashion. The 11th Century Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, and many homes and buildings from 4 or 5 hundred years ago still function beautifully and don't suffer with cladding that could catch fire, or softening concrete. People have nothing in mind but money nowadays. Save on materials and charge a fortune because it can always be replaced. It's horrific how the throwaway society cares nothing for pride in construction.
We can still build these things
To expensive to build beautiful buildings nowadays
As it took until 1880 for the cathedral to be completed, it doesn’t appear in this case 13th century people could build a grand cathedral. Barcelona as you point out is building a grand cathedral now.
@@francesconicoletti2547 strassburger cathedral was built largely back then. Cologne ran out of money at some point. That was the only reason for the building stop, not a lack of ability
Ernst Friedrich Zwirner... From 1833 he was the leading architect of Cologne Cathedral and was born in Jakobswalde [Kotlarnia] in Silesia. Its just 10 km from my home and to this day there is his parents grave :D fun fuct about this person who worked at this Cathedral
Thanks for sharing this personal connection with us and our community!
Excellent documentary as always. DW should cover the history of "Silent Nacht" creation in Oberndorf, Austria next time, since this is exactly the Christmas time!
Excellent idea! Thank you for that
The fact that these Gothic cathedrals were built without power tools or cranes and the stones were all cut and carved by hand, never ceases to amaze me.
Do you REALLY believe it was built that way? How naive you people are...
Learn to speak ENGLISH before asking damned stupid questions.@@user-ml6xc1hh8t
@@YTChiefCritic No, aliens with anti gravity machines pitched in.
Really??? Npc comment
No way WE todays humans had anything to do with this structure
I nave had the opportunity to visit the cathedral twice. It looms large and completely dwarfs the city around it. Impossible to get the full effect unless you see it in person. Incredibly impressive that something so huge could have been built so many hundreds of years ago - long before structural steel!
They had steel
@@Harpin519 no
@@jackcharlie9322 they find steel ties holding rocks at seems , I’m sure the cathedral had iron strapping from the roof spires down to the ground in between stone slabs
@@Harpin519 steel working didn’t exist in the 1300s you’re talking shit
What a beautiful video to add to my Gothic playlist
Great 😍
fantastic construction, when art meets engineering, impressive work. Hope it stays forever, as it is truly a marvelous feat of human excellence. 👍🏽
@@bobbyeapen6049 Architect’s dream is engineer’s worst nightmare definitely fits with this cathedral.
Been there in the 90s... Beautiful and haunting. A certain vibe.
It is my very own privilege to drive by this monument every day when I go to university. I live here all my life and since im a child I always have the same feeling of awe when I stand under it. It feels like standing ontop of a mountain looking down into a beautiful landscape. Only that you arr at the foot of an amazing wonder.
You've got a great daily companion 😍
Thank you for presenting a brilliant, tragic, heart-warming, finally triumphant history of a structure that must stand as an inspiration for all--Survival!
What a magnificent masterpiece from 13th century people .
Even the artwork details on the window is insane!
Who TF would throw gum on the floor? And play games in the Church. That’s disrespectful. I would volunteer and make people eat the gum !
If I saw them doing that, they’d have a tough time eating the gum with no teeth.
Absolutely agree... I'm an atheist and yet everytime I hear/see someone answering a call, eating (gum included), being dressed as if they were going to the beach, etc. in a church, it really pisses me off. Just f... off to Disneyland...
@@C.O._Jones How very 'christian' of you.
@@leftpastsaturn67 It actually is. It’s much better for them than what I actually want to do. And rest assured that I hold you in the exact same regard I have for them.
@@leftpastsaturn67
You know: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" Old Testament.
Not my opinion.
A friend of mine told me that he feels really at home and safe whenever he sees this Cathedral. I've been living here for three years and now I can totally understand it.
I feel this way too, especially when they were showing the view of it from the town. Like a connection to it
I visited on a school trip in 1962. We walked in off the square, paid the 2DM in a wooden box, then walked around. I was impressed beyond belief, the cathedral is so large and richly decorted. I am used to the austere plain stone of English churches it is fabulous.
That's not really a fair comparison though is it? I know cathedrals ARE churches, but I'm going to assume you meant regular parish churches - and of course they are going to seem somewhat anticlimactic by comparison with not just even any old cathedral, but amongst the most magnificent to be found anywhere on the planet.
That being said, may I also respectfully contend, that until the middle of the sixteenth century, England was as Catholic as anywhere else - and just as Gothic, Mediæval - and prone to superstition and excess as anyone else - with the architecture to match. The ancient English cathedrals are a match for any - Benedict XVI (presumably familiar enough with large and ancient churches....)was visibly awestruck and moved by Westminster Abbey when he came to England in 2010. Your comment leads me to suspect that you have not availed yourself of most, or any, of the splendours which dot this isle - if you had, it would be inconceivable that a complaint of "plainness" could be applied and an unequal comparison implied: Winchester, Salisbury, York, Gloucester, Worcester, Ely are my picks for your first half dozen. Any and all of the above are beyond compare. I suppose Canterbury would feel offended to be left off - and Bath, Norwich, Durham, Wells, Peterborough are all absolutely fabulous days out, most of the cathedrals there absolutely dripping with the curlicue serrations and astounding minute tracery in stone and wood that you favour - and you should see the just mentioned Westminster Abbey and while there, St Paul's - which while Baroque, not Gothic, makes up for its lack of intricately carved detail by its thumping great size, sense of incredible, mountainous solidity and one of the longest echos in the business. If you're lucky enough to catch the choir rehearsing - or even just the assistant sub organist - you'll be guaranteed to be blown away. In THAT sense, England, clearly Protestant by then, on the cusp of world primacy and nurturing in its bosom some of the greatest Enlightenment geniuses of the day - Wren, Newton, Boyle, Hooke, Hume, Marlborough - of course was going to project itself cockily and in a fresh new way, departing the gnarly, spooky Gothic of the Middle Ages for the very smoothest, whitest limestone and marble and neo Classical pediments, porticos, colonnades and domes.
Anyway, there's no reason to be defensive since, as I said, any and all of the above palaces of ingenuity, determination and, let's be honest, (archi)episcopal/cardinalatial hubris - positively bristle with the sort of stunning detail you admire - quite rightly - at Cologne.... I m sure you will appreciate for yourself the impressions I have certainly had, from all of those spectacular places. And if you can't make it in person, try some of the better quality documentaries 🙂
You can not imagine how big and magnificent it is until you step out of the cologne main train station turn left and there it is in its full glory. It is really shoking.
You are right. This view is phenomenal! 😊
Here I am in NYC jaw dropped at St Patricks cathedral. This church is next level. Down to the glasswork it’s an architectural marvel. I appreciate that they consider not just the religious aspects of it but the artistic and historical as well before any changes are made.
Невероятная честь получить подряд на реставрацию этого шедевра мировой архитектуры.
My German-born mother recalled that the location of the Koln Hauptbahnhof (central railway station) meant that the Kolner Dom was also hit by bombs. This was in contrast to the Aachen Cathedral, which was quite a distance from the Haupt Bahnhof and therefore was less scarred by bombing.
I believe much of the area was deliberately *not* bombed because it was such an easy landmark seen from the air
I’m planning to see this wonderful marvel in the spring.
I visited here is 1975 as an American Serviceman - and ate at a McDonalds across the street. That was when there were few overseas McDonalds! It was a great day!
Yes, that’s exactly what happened to me, too. I walked over Mc.Donald’s across the road and went to the bathroom down the basement, then there was black-man at the door collecting money 💰 for using the restroom.
The McDonalds across the street still exist. ;-)
When I was there in 1974, there were very few tourists at all. My friend and I were nearly alone inside. There were no tours. It was wonderful to be there with barely a whisper of noise. In 1974 there were benches to sit on in the square. I see none in this video....a shame. Skateboarding in the square? How stupid, pointless and disrespectful. Same goes for any protest. In spite of what is stated here, I was told by many former Bomber Command Pilots of whom I interviewed, all told me that they tried to avoid hitting the cathedral. That was due to respect for history AND that the twin towers were a navigation aid that would be lost if destroyed. On most nights those 2 towers were visible at any height. One must recall too that just on one night alone, the RAF hit Koln with nearly 1,000 aircraft. Isn't that a point that proves that those pilots that I interviewed were telling the truth? During the entire war, the cathedral was only hit approx. 14 times, while the rest of the city was nearly flattened. Surely the cathedral was only hit by accident and never intentionally.
It's another wonderful documentary and historical coverage video of infamous Colon Chathedrals in Germany 🇩🇪... thank you, an excellent ( DW) documentary channel for sharing this wonderful documentary about ancient Roman trails, Medieval existence below this wonderful Cathedral in German history ..
The cathedral is not “infamous”, you disrespectful platypus.
@@C.O._Jones This seems to be a simple spelling mistake. No need to be mean.
@@DWHistoryandCulture That’s not a spelling mistake. If the man can’t use the correct English word, he should use his own language.
Had the pleasure of living in the shadows of the Cathedral for five months in 2014. Got to see it every day. It really is a profound experience. On another note, she mentioned that there was no evidence that the Cathedral was not targeted in WWII. I have the evidence straight from a bomber navigator who was there. They did not have official orders to spare the Cathedral, however, bomber crews used the Cathedral as a navigation waypoint because it was visible more than 20 miles away. They did not want to eliminate something that was such a useful aid. The Cologne bombing raids were done at night, but they could tell where the Cathedral was because it blocked the light from the fires. So, while there may not have been documented evidence to indicate that the cathedral was not targeted, it was avoided as much as possible by the bomber crews.
Hi @tamugrad2007! Thank you very much for your interesting addition! 😊
Surprised that no one addressed the drawings in the cathedral's plaza. There are some tremendous artists who drawn in chalk incredible images.
28:01 totally unsuitable
Who was the structural engineer in 1248 that knew the soil would hold the worlds tallest and heaviest building in the world?
@@nothingman3542 Master Gerhard
first saw this cathedral 25 years ago. its really MASSIVE
It is! Make sure to follow us for the latest uploads 😊
I grew up in the 90s if I got caught leaping over church pews during a service my pastor and my grandma and my grandpa would take me out back and do the you know what to me whoop my behind
And I imagine the result is that you respect others’ property and know how to act like a human being.
wow what a magical looking place.
This place is absolutely amazing
The Cologne Cathedral Plaza would be a busy area. Skateboards are a hazard to the people around. It was proper to remove them from the plaza.
Now, they need to put a decibel limit on amplifiers.
St Philomena's Cathedral in Mysore, India (world's yoga capital) is based on the Cologne Cathedral.
Thank you for sharing that insight with us and our community!
It ıs looks so amazing ı Will definetly go there
Story of a feminist peasant with the Cathedral in the background was so touching. Like an interview with random pigeon leaving some dirt behind. Dark ages were not in the past. It is today!
Cringe
I love that they show the hidden parts of the church as well
Darnet! Germans just have to have the biggest and best of everything. I both admire and envy that bunch.
Not sure while in Calogen I'll do a bit of shopping buy some presents see a brothel you know just like that pretty casual 😂😊
@@annettejacobsen6035 I thought that was hilarious also being that was the day to day function during the medieval times in Cologne.
Modern genious society not able to even clean the surface of the Cathedra. Doesn't that perhaps tell you something?
One of my favourite.....
Pokémon Hunters in the Cathedral 2024! Evolution at it's finest 👌
Most stunning building ive ever seen
I was there last week. Beautiful architecture.
Interesting video. Thanks for posting.
Sadly the skateboarder didn't mentally grown up. He is still on his teenager's mindset and brain.😢
Such a beautiful work of art and so proud of Cologne. Pity that some gargoyles were released too early from the edifices of the cathedral (explains why some were missing too!😂) and came to the grounds in the form of a skateboarder, a violent freespeecher, a robber, a vandal, and a fountain😮 trust that even gargoyles can turn a new leaf and work to restore this church. If you're mad at someone, take it elsewhere, not on sacred spaces ✨🕊️.
Many thanks for making this documentary. A few months ago, I fell in love with this cathedral at first sight. Now I know more about it.
Thank you! We're glad you liked the documentary. Subscribe to our channel for the latest uploads.
@@DWHistoryandCulture
Oh,I thought I was subscribed your channel, but that was your documentary channel. Now I subscribed also your history and culture channel.thanks for reminding me.
It would be wonderful if a method could be found to clean the exterior stonework without damaging it. I would love to see the exquisite carved detailing come to life with the grime removed.
They actually showed exactly that being done with a laser - someone wasn't paying attention 😏
The craziest thing about it is the HUGE Historical excavation right below the floor, it's the biggest active one in Germany.
You can book a tour, you can see the ruins of the previous church under the floor and the remains of a roman bath
Thank you for this additional information 😊
Amazing it survived WW 2.
33:10 With border security there would be no need to put a fence around the cathedral.
An honest tale, making the certain spirit shine to our current days towards the end of this documentation - even for atheists. Well done, DW ! Thank you.
We're glad you enjoyed it. Make sure to follow us for the latest uploads 😊
A travel guide such as Angela can insinuate doctrine to the people she meets and shares her ideas...
I would like to meet the salesman who sold the “relics”.
What a farce!
Give up. Slaves dont buy, sell.
Be nice to the old man he been through a lot of life
I live in cologne and unfortunately this beautiful iconic building is surrounded by the most ugly part of the city: roads, tunnels and a trainstation with crackheads. they sould have built a park around it or something. such a shame
Wunderbar
This documentary is from 2017. Should've been mentioned in the title or, at the very least, in the description. Some documentaries (not saying this one in particular) don't age very well, the year of production is always important to know. Furthermore, it can look like clickbait without it.
The worlds impressive cathedrals are the spiritual architectural engineering and astronomicallineage of the pyramid buildersAnd whoever came before them
There used to be great ancient history docs on this channel, but not for the last year or two 😞
Great video best wishes to everyone 🙏 CHEERS Manchester city ❤ England 😎
We're glad you liked it! 😊
How on earth "Humans" managed to design and build such a magnificent church 700 years ago..Even with Todays technology it seems impossible...😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
Can charge 5 per person times 20,000 persons. My math says that is 100,000 monetary units per day. That will put a dent in the cleaning bill. Is that 36.5M? Each year? Wow.
Nobody seems able to explain how the cathedrals were built. He says only that "they did an incredible job".
What dont you understand about it?
its because hes talking out his ass bro , doesnt have a clue. the narrator said they built it in 70 years in 1300s when people had animal skins for their windows , yeah right , we have been lied to
We love the Cologne cathedral
4:15 lol “like at Versailles” they wouldn’t enjoy it. Gotta love the subtle jabs
beautiful city, one of the oldest in Germany
This is so Destroy Lonely
I personally like Gothic Style Architecture a lot, it's very beautiful . Love from India
I love the use of a refugee boat as an altar. Powerful.
Brilliant
Thanks 👌
God bless 🙌
How on Earth did people living in huts with hides for windows build this?
they didnt , it was a different civilisation / society all together, we have definitely been deceived by our history
Histoire AND cultures This is my favourite mind
Praise Jesus ❤ from india 🇮🇳
I climbed up the tower once. 500 steps.
Pity they couldn't resist bullsh*ting about it becoming the world's tallest structure in the 13th century, taking over from the "pyramids at Giza" (listen around 11:02). At 15:47, the drawing shows the building before the 19th century completion. The height of the roof ridge is only about 61m, which is less than half the current height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (about 138m).
DW is a favorite channel, but this report was not it's best. There weren't many history details. More than half the time is spent on other matters with endless shots of visitors.
Thanks for sharing your opinion with us. We'll try to do better next time :)
Too many modern buildings too close to the cathedral.
You can't blame the Americans for putting the train station next to the Cathedral. You can't blame the Americans for the war either. You want to point a finger point it at Hitler. Point it at those who put the train station there.
Of course blame it on the easy planned scapegoat lmao, what am embarrassment
@@elijahhodges4405 the train station was there before ww2
@kingdongo4388
No, he's right
I live near cologne and i agree with him
lol…. To be honest ,the spires hold a unique place for me… on my first travel there they meant my brother and I had made a huge mistake. We were supposed to wake up in the Netherlands; we had never heard of splitting the train w passengers on board….
people need to research Tartaria and the great mud flood..
When this cathedral was built?
Hi @lorenzarillo2371! The foundation stone was laid on 15 August 1248. Construction lasted 632 years until the cathedral was finish in 1880 😊
The title said “History …” but I’m 7 minutes into the video and there has been nothing about history at all. It’s all every day trivialities. WTF!?!?
The Cologne Cathedral survived the Allied bombing of Cologne inn World War 11.
Sort of
There were eleven world wars?
11:10 sorry that was Lincoln cathedral in england
Uhmm...No?
Get some new glasses. Definitely!
Dude, you can see both the Rhine and part of the roof of the Hauptbahnhof at the end of the shot...
That looks nothing like Lincoln Cathedral.
I skipped the part with feminist in it.
@@eppsislike Ah feminists and tree huggers, they'll ruin every place and occasion.
7.3 million a year just in maintenance.
I sometimes wonder why we have to share the planet and its treasures with people who would damage, urinate on, graffiti or thieve from such a treasure. What is wrong with them??
I always remember how to spell Cologne by deliberately mispronouncing it in my head as "Co-log-nee", otherwise, I always miss the "g"... and bologna is "Bo-log-nah", and Lasagna is "Lah-sag-nah"... now, I DO say them correctly, it's just in my head when I'm writing/typing them.... ;-P
Just say the native Köln instead.