Kölner Dom Germany

Legendary

At 157 m, the cathedral is currently the tallest twin-spired church in the world.

Photo by Harry Traber

Cologne was bombed heavily during World War II, and roughly 90 percent of the old town was flattened. Fourteen bombs hit the cathedral directly.

It stayed standing. Some pilots reportedly used its two towers as a navigation landmark, which may be part of why it survived.

The cathedral's story starts with a delivery. In 1164, relics said to be the bones of the Three Wise Men were brought to Cologne from Milan.

Pilgrims poured in from across Europe. The existing church was far too small to hold them.

So the city decided to build something enormous. Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the foundation stone on August 15, 1248.

The design copied the French Gothic cathedrals, with pointed arches, soaring stone, and huge windows. The choir was finished and blessed in 1322.

Then the money ran out. Work stopped around the 1500s, and a medieval crane sat abandoned on top of one unfinished tower for roughly 300 years.

Builders finally returned in the 1800s, using the original medieval plans, which had survived. The cathedral was completed in 1880, 632 years after the first stone was laid.

Its twin towers reach 157 meters. That made it the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument passed it in 1884.

It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Roughly 6 million people visit each year, making it Germany's most popular landmark.

The work never actually stops. A permanent team of stonemasons repairs the sandstone year-round.

Climb the 533 steps up the south tower for a view across the Rhine, and take your time on the way. Look for the golden Shrine of the Three Kings behind the high altar, made around 1220 and considered a masterpiece of medieval goldwork. Find the Gerhard Richter window, added in 2007, made of 11,500 squares of colored glass.