This article is the third in a series about the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that my daughter and I visited on our recent Rhine River Cruise. The first article was about Strasbourg, France, and the second was about the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.
This article is about Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. It is a Catholic cathedral that is officially known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter. Construction began all the way back in 1248, but it wasn’t completed until 1880!
Cologne Cathedral has some serious bragging rights. In addition to being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also
- Germany’s most visited landmark
- the tallest twin-spired church in the world
- the third tallest church in the world, and
- the largest façade of any church in the world.
Wow, right?
So, there’s no way that we could miss visiting this landmark…not even if we had just gone on a bike ride during which it started pouring rain halfway through, leaving us soaked and freezing. We simply weren’t going to miss it.
We do wish we’d had the option to stop at the ship and change into dry clothes first. You can even see our ship in the photo above. Unfortunately, that was the day we had our Covid-19 tests scheduled so that we could fly back to the US, and there just wasn’t enough time. 🙁 So, we pedaled onward to the cathedral.
After oohing and aahing for a while, we went inside.
The height inside is unbelievable.
And the art is just breathtaking. Take a look at the stained glass windows.
The mosaic floors were gorgeous too. Our guide told us that they are relatively recent–only a few hundred years old.
So, even though it was a fairly short visit, I’m so glad that we were able to see the Cologne Cathedral. It truly is magnificent.
Is Cologne, Germany, on your list of must-visit destinations? Whether by river cruise or a land vacation, I would love to help you plan a trip. I have to say, though, that a river cruise is an ideal way to see a lot of different cities while sleeping in the same bed every night. Read about how my services work here.
