Cologne, Germany’s Cathedral

Our river craft rolled all night, and we left the Netherlands behind. In the morning, we tied up in Cologne, Germany, home to a spectacular gothic cathedral. Our guide told us that their cathedral is at the top of Germany’s tourist attractions.

One of the results from WW II was the discovery of Roman ruins under the foundations of rebuilt city structures. The Rhine River was at the edge of the Roman Empire which used the river for trade transports. While digging down to reset foundations, the ruins of Roman structures were routinely found in Cologne. The picture above is the ruin of a Roman home in the parking lot for the cathedral

While discussing the bombing of the city, our guide told us that Cologne was the first German city to be bombed … and it wasn’t for strictly military targets. Instead, the Cologne bombings were a direct retaliation for Hitler’s bombing of London. Very personal in nature. One of our fellow travelers was a ninety + year old woman who grew up in Cologne and described staying in bunkers for weeks at a time with her family to avoid the bombings. Her description was riveting .

Our guide said that the Cathedral was struck eleven times by bombs but remained standing. Most of the worry was about fires being started and spread by the debris. Also, the stained glass of the cathedral survived because it was removed from the walls before the bombings started. Our guide also stated that a visit to the cathedral was like visiting heaven on earth, so safekeeping the glass was extremely important. I must confess that I never thought of cathedrals in the way before, but it kind of makes sense.

Another reason for the popularity of the Cologne Cathedral is the Shrine of the Three Kings… a box surrounded by beautiful gold and silver leaf that holds the bones of the Biblical Magi. If the story is to be believed, these are the bones of the three wise men.

Their bones were allegedly dug up from their original resting place in Jerusalem and taken to Milan, Italy. Milan was besieged and captured in 1164, and the bones were stolen and brought to the new cathedral in Cologne. Many Christians go on pilgrimages to see and worship before the Magi.

in the afternoon, Mrs Bear came back and joined a small group that climbed up into the spires. She enjoyed the views, the history, but mainly she enjoyed the climbing. I will end this entry with her photos…