Curious about Cologne, Germany

Cologne is a pretty city with architecture influenced by the Dutch as well

Restaurant area in Cologne

as the Italians and the French. But what I loved most about the city was the cathedral. It’s nearly over the top Gothic architecture is jaw-dropping. So I was stunned when one of our party absolutely refused to go inside – and was nasty about it. All I could think was ‘ugly American’. Our tour guide was gracious, recommending a nice place for a cup of coffee while this person and a companion waited for the tour to continue. Better manners would have been to inquire as to a café location and quietly state that they would wait for us there; it doesn’t cost anything to be polite.



As with many cities in Europe, Cologne is really old, dating from 38 BC. Its position on the Rhine made it a good place for commerce, and a good

City gate

place to be captured by whomever wanted the area. Because it was a prime location, it was also a great place for religions to apply their influence. This was important because religion, at the time, was synonymous with government. The religious leaders wanted a headquarters from which to rule the area and Cologne provided a nice vantage point. Of course you can’t have a headquarters without some outward show of power. This was usually in the form of a relatively large, well-decorated church; the Cathedral at Cologne certainly qualifies, as do several others within the town. Roman imperial governors lived in the city making it one of the most important production and trade centers in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.






After years of battles among the local governments, Cologne gained its

Crypt for reliquary

independence from the Catholic Church in 1288, making it a Free City. However, the church was in charge of criminal justice, including torture; this lasted until the French took over the city, as well as the courts. Although a free city, Cologne was also an important site of medieval pilgrimage, holding the relics of the Three Wise Men (the magi), Saint Ursula, and Saint Albertus Magnus. The population, and the economy, grew for several hundred years. In the 18^th / 19^th century, however, a political leader changed the face of the area and of Cologne. The region became a part of Napoleon’s Empire, with Cologne giving up its free city status. And, again, Cologne prospered; that is until World War I when it became a Fortress of the German Confederation. With this governmental change, there was a boost to the vehicle and engine manufacturing to support the war effort. The Cathedral, began in 1284, was finally completed and used not only as a church, but as a German national monument. Other historic areas were demolished to be replaced by contemporary buildings. And even though Cologne was the target of several air raids during the war, the city wasn’t particularly damaged. Much more destructive to Cologne was the election in 1933 of members of the Nazi Party. Once in office, they arrested the Communist and Social Democrat members of the city assembly, jailing, deporting or murdering them.

During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters for the Axis powers. The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on the city, destroying 61%; Rudolf Schwarz said that Cologne

Top L to R: Cathedral interior, Exterior, Stained glass
window
Bottom L to R: One entry, Window detail

was the ‘world's greatest heap of rubble’. Schwarz was the designer of the reconstruction that began in 1947 and lasted until the 1990s. The loss of cultural treasures including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches (i.e. St. Gereon, Great St. Martin, St. Maria im Kapitol) and other monuments was remedied, to a certain extent through this restoration. Not just buildings were destroyed, but by the end of the war, Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis. The only church that didn’t suffer extensive damage was the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter (a.k.a. Cologne Cathedral). According to our guide, the bombers left it relatively intact because it was used as a point of navigation. At the time it was the tallest twin-spired church in the world. Now, at 515 feet (157 m), it’s the second tallest in Europe, after the Ulm Cathedral, and third in the world. This amazing monument to Gothic architecture was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It’s pretty, inside, with the nave boasting many 19th century stained glass windows. The Bayernfenster, a set of five windows on the south side, represents the German style of painting at that time and were a gift from Ludwig I of Bavaria. As we were leaving the area one member of our tour group remarked to the guide that she was sorry for the destruction of World War II. His comment seems to be typical of many people currently living in Germany. ‘We deserved it’, he said.

Street scenes, L to R: Goat and grapes, Toothed head, Head in the rocks

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