科隆大教堂Cologne Cathedral

The Cathedral of Cologne is one of Germany's most important architectural monuments and part of the Top Ten Sights and Attractions in Germany. This Gothic masterpiece, located in the heart of Cologne, is the third tallest cathedral in the world and boasts the highest church spires ever built. The construction of the Cologne Cathedral began in 1248, in order to house the precious relict “Shrine of the Three Holy Kings”. It took over 600 years to complete the Cathedral, and when it was finished in 1880, it was still true to the original plans. In World War II, the city center of Cologne was leveled by bombings;the Cathedral was the only building that survived. Standing tall in an otherwise flattened city, some said it was divine intervention; a more matter-of-fact explanation is that the Cathedral of Cologne was a point of orientation for the pilots.

科隆大教堂是德國最重要的紀念性建筑之一，同時也位列德國最佳景點的前十名。該教堂位于科隆市中心，是哥特式建筑風格，也是世界上高度排在第三名的大教堂，并擁有最高教堂尖頂。科隆大教堂始建于1248年，當初是為了保存“東方三圣王”的尸骨而建立的。這座教堂歷時600多年，直到1880年才完成，不過教堂的風格始終沒有改變。第二次世界大戰期間，科隆市中心幾乎被夷為平地，只有科隆大教堂幸免于難。當時有人說是神保佑它才完好無損，還有一種更符合現實的說法就是，它在給飛行員們導航。