-- Cruises

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-- Cologne

---- Cathedral

---- Museum

---- Lodging

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-- Enemy Brothers

-- Schoenburg

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Cologne’s cathedral, the Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria, is with it’s 157 meters the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world (after the cathedrals of Seville and Milan). For eight years, between 1880 and 1888, it was the tallest building in the world. The ground it sits on was the site of a house of worship long before the cathedral was constructed, first as a Roman temple, then an early Christian church. The present structure took over six centuries to build. Begun in the year 1248, the building was stopped in 1510 because of lack of funds. With financial aid of the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV and Archbishop Johannes von Geissel, construction was resumed in 1842 and completed in 1880.

The facade with the twin towers is impressive in its scale and intricacy. Inside the cathedral is what many would consider to be the most important shrine of the western world, the Shrine of the Magi, said to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men.

Like Nijmegen and Xanten, Cologne has been continuously occupied and growing since Roman times. The city today is both one of the most important and one of the most festive in Germany. People from all over the world are drawn not only to its cathedral and museum but also to its restaurants, pubs and party atmosphere. While visiting Cologne, many people stop by at at Glockengasse 4711, where Eau de Cologne was originated.

For more on the history of Cologne check here and here.