Cologne Cathedral - West facade
On 15th October 1880, when the last stone was laid in the flower cross on the tip of the South spire, marking completion of construction, Cologne Cathedral with its imposing West spires was the highest building in the world. It had taken centuries of building work for the cathedral to rise from its foundations to the filigree copings atop its two spires. The history of this building can be traced right back to the 13th century.In 1248, Konrad von Hochstaden, the Archbishop of Cologne, laid the first stone from which the Gothic shape of a new Cologne Cathedral was to rise. The plans from which this monumental structure was to rise were the creative output of an exceptionally talented stonemason by the name of Gerhard, the first Master Cathedral Builder in Cologne. Around 1280, his successors produced a now famous parchment drawing over four metres in height and displaying a detailed sectional view of the facade under the two spires, still housed in the cathedral's Johanneskapelle. This is the largest known architectural drawing of the Middle Ages and it provides a precise depiction of the planning process employed at that time. The distinctive way the two spires of the cathedral reach heavenwards was accurately captured in this drawing, now over 700 years old. The filigree spire copings constitute an innovative departure from their French forebears. They imbue the spire structures with an enhanced sense of the vertical. However, examples of this type of filigree architecture on spires were few and far between in the Middle Ages. The spire on Freiburg's Münster cathedral is one of only a few similar examples.
Final completion of the spires on Cologne Cathedral marked a process which had lasted centuries. A small gold coin, minted in 1357 which came to light just recently during excavation work on the foundations of the South spire proves that construction work on the spires could not have commenced any earlier than 1360. By 1410, work was complete on the ground floor and first floor of the South spire. When medieval construction work ended around 1520, the structure had reached a height of 56 metres. A gigantic building crane sat atop the unfinished spire and became a distinctive landmark in the city. For centuries thereafter, the creaking and groaning of this winch-operated crane as it moved around in the wind became a familiar sound to the citizens of Cologne, especially at night when the sound could be heard right across the city.
In contrast to this, the masonry on the North spire only reached a height of a few metres in the Middle Ages.
Further construction work and completion of the spires was left until the 19th century. Once work restarted in 1842, further construction work on the cathedral advanced rapidly. In 1868, the North spire had reached the same height as its southern counterpart. At this time, the medieval construction crane finally had to disappear from the construction site. The souvenirs carved from its wooden beams became highly prized items.
In accordance with the medieval construction drawing, the spires above 2nd floor height were gradually drawn into an octagonal shape from their square-section base. Giant filigree structures towering above the main corner buttresses mask this transition from square to octagonal. Beneath tall, slim baldachins stand figures of angels, taller than life-size, holding musical instruments and the tools used to persecute Christ, all the work of late 19th century cathedral sculptor Peter Fuchs (ca. 1870-80).
The use of modern technology such as the steam engine made it possible for both spires to grow skywards very rapidly. 632 years after the founding stone was laid, work on the largest church facade ever created (almost 7000 m2) came to an end, also marking the completion of the entire cathedral.
Modern visitors can make their way up 509 steps to the foot of the southern spire coming to a viewing platform at a height of 97 metres. At this point, they are still 60 metres below the tips of the spires, and the North spire (157.38 metres) actually rises 7 cm above its southern counterpart.
