Cologne (Monday 31 October)

We are off to visit Cologne (Koln in German). Cologne is a beautiful city located on the Rhine River approximately 200 kilometers north west of Frankfurt. It was built initially by the Romans and you only have to dig under the present city to find plenty of evidence of that.

The city is probably most famous for it’s cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral commands the city skyline from every angle. It is the most amazing building I have seen. Pictures can’t do this place justice. And this is why we have come to Cologne for the day. The Cathedral has motivated us to visit, just like it has inspired pilgrimages to it’s doors for centuries, but for different reasons. I’m here for the magnificence of the structure and it’s stories. Pilgrims came here to be close to what is inside this huge Catholic church. Inside is a golden shrine, which houses the skeletal remains of the Three Kings or three wise men (of ‘bearing gifts to Jesus in the manger’ fame). The Three Kings are Patron Saints of Cologne and feature in its flag. Their bones were acquired from Milan, Italy, and brought to Cologne in what has to be one of the world’s cleverest marketing coups. This instantly put Cologne well and truely on the Christian map and the people came, in droves. The famous relics drew the faithful from all of Europe making the Cologne Pilgrimage one of the largest of the middle ages. A golden crypt was made to house the bones. The church of the time was knocked down to make way for a structure more fitting this treasure and in 1248 construction of this cathedral began. The chief architect turned to the modern Gothic architecture of the French cathedrals. But of course this one will be bigger!

The Colgne Cathredal took over 600 years to complete. We learn something of it’s secrets by taking a guided tour. Apparently there is some doubt about the authenticity of the bones inside the shrine. On a special day each year the lid is lifted on the shrine and a lucky few can view the contents. One witness was a doctor who determined from the size and shape of the skulls that one was an old man, another was a middle-aged man and the other was a boy. Some don’t think these are the three kings but there isn’t any hard evidence yet to disprove the Church’s story. The Church won’t allow carbon dating to be carried out on the bones!

Also buried in crypts inside the church are past Bishops.

The Cathedral is in a constant state of repair and maintenance. There is no time throughout the year that some part of the structure isn’t covered by scaffolding. Acid rain and pollution blackens the external stonework and the many stained glass windows, statues and paintings need constant attention. The intricate ornate features on the outside frequently drop off and need repairing. The local Colognians are said to not walk to closely beside the building for fear of being hit by falling bits!

Calogne’s flag