Cologne cathedral a unesco World Heritage site that draws thousands of visitors a day its magnetic appeal extends well beyond the city that surrounds it the cathedral is brimming with priceless art and Cultural Treasures and inspires or an admiration and yet it is a vulnerable colossus. The earth. The cathedral is a long term construction site scaffolding seems to be a permanent fixture. Cathedral architect pictured first initial and his team are responsible for securing and preserving the gigantic structure weather and air pollution take that Child Maintenance bill runs to around twenty thousand euros a day. If i hadnt got it the stone here is much yellow where then it is up there. On a button to. The cathedral itself tells us what needs to be dumb we basically just set priorities and do the work im for going to nonapproved head putting in. Right now first initial planning projects that will not be carried out for another fifty years. This is all kind of kind of god but its a big responsibility and we need to approach our work with a bit of humility if i manage to dish thats because we can complete just a fraction of the work that needs to be done by venice and. When the cathedral doors are locked at the end of the day its peaceful and quiet once again for at least a few hours. Custody in the clean up after the Days Visitors and they check to make sure that everyone has left the building. Through the centuries many have sought to exploit the cathedral for their own ends kings emperors and cotton alls. The cathedral seemed to inspire a sense of greed in these people and not just because its treasures from the bridge there are lots of people who protect the cathedral and every view that we need to protect the cathedral from its. Cologne cathedral is a world unto itself. And the master of that world is provost got back now. Nothing takes place here without his permission. But back in his jurisdiction is limited everything that goes on outside the building for example on the dome platter Cathedral Square is a matter for the city of cologne. That i didnt join plat it is a crazy place theres a lot going on here and on a saturday like today its really busy twenty thousand people a day visit the cathedral its the most visited place in germany. Angular she has worked as a guide at the cathedral for more than twenty years. I think when i started doing guided tours we just walked into the kitty join looked around it was all very casual its not like it is today later they decided to regulate the flow of visitors that make sense so now only ten groups an hour are allowed that helps people get more out of the tour if people were just heard through the place like they are at first sign they wouldnt enjoy the experience and it wouldnt do justice to the cathedral either. Filming in the cathedral is strictly forbidden this is a place of worship after all and Church Officials want to maintain the cathedrals dignity and integrity. Still visitors do take photos and videos for their own private use to show the folks back home that they were actually here. But the twenty thousand visitors a day do have an impact. They throw used chewing gum on the floor scribble on the walls and leave behind a mixture of fabric fibers and particles that theyve expelled all this creates problems for the cathedral. And thats when im ive got all these people moving through the building and those particles settle on the artworks so we were constantly to limit the damage is one of them but we also want to make sure that the building remains open to a large number of visitors. That includes the faithful up to six masses a day are held here these Services Provide brief response between the waves of tourists. Many of them dont show proper respect right now we have a problem with kokomo on players weve actually seen them leaping over pews im not a very religious person myself but i still find it annoying its just respectful cologne cathedral its a remarkable achievement it took centuries to build and people should respect that. The security staff are responsible for keeping things under control but who decides how the cathedrals public image should best be preserved. Thats an issue that has long concerned writer and cabaret artist martin sheinkopf skiing hes lived in cologne for decades. Peter bob did see how he thought the cathedral Advisory Board claimed that they have the authority to interpret that but thats not correct the board does represent the religious side of things but there are also artistic and Political Considerations and all sides have a legitimate claim when it comes to making decisions on those various issues. The distinctive silhouette towers over colognes postwar concrete landscape from every direction the cathedral dominates the skyline and imposing landmark at the heart of the city. Olds ulcers things are marketed under its name including cookies and beer its not a registered trademark unfortunately theres no legal obstacle to people using the word cathedral but on the bright side the fact that manufacturers seek to associate their products with the cathedral shows that its regarded as a valuable commodity. But for the promised the cathedral is first and foremost a church his favorite spot is halfway along a quiet section its a place that gives him strength a place where he can pause and reflect. He got home. Wooden regardless of whether youre religious you can answer the life simple questions only if you can step back from the hustle and bustle and find a quiet spot in my mind. Do that and you can do that in a sacred place like this. The cathedral has an inner radians that draws people to it is mentioned. But there is also a hidden side to the cathedral deep down below the naive you can see the medieval foundations and traces of two thousand years of history they bear witness to the colorful past of this city and its people. Here and a kind of we found roman residences on the cathedral site and a roman floor heating system that you know there are a living rooms that have painted walls. Weve also found old churches this is basically the nucleus of the present day cathedral. This passageway leads to an area thats close to the public this was once the villa district of ancient colonial the foundation on which the modern day cathedral was belt. And you from. Something this is where early christians met in private residences to be to pray and hold religious services. And its amazing you can still see the site of the altar and it is these are the foundations of the present day gothic high altar of cologne cathedral in. The. Cathedrals in a sanctum long before the gothic edifice was completed people made pilgrimages here to see colognes greatest treasure. To do this cathedral was built to house the shrine and the shrine was created to store the mortal remains of the three kings by the magi. The earlier cathedral a Romanesque Church is where the relics were first kept when they were brought here from italy. The relics were in milan and colognes archbishop saw his chance and took it he package it the relics no one here complained he turned cologne into a major Pilgrimage Center best idea it was a lucrative Business Model for the church and for the city cologne ended up becoming the biggest mediaval city north of the alps or anything i like. Colognes reputation as a commercial center a Cultural Center and a transport hub extended far beyond the runway and of course the city needed a church a state of the art religious landmark to emphasise its stature mark. At the time the pyramids at giza in egypt were the Worlds Largest structures but in the thirteenth century the title passed to colognes cathedral Skilled Labor from all over europe took part in its construction. Mentioned he did in those early cathedral builders did an incredible job they were the first people to lay the foundations for a building that they would never see completed triumph and boards and they knew it and thus most of the my its there its tough to see into. The Foundation Pit was seventeen meters deep there is as much masonry down here as there is above ground. Point of order today a structural engineer. I would say that this is way over the top the foundations dont need to be this big but it also means that we dont need to worry if theres an earthquake you have been given. And this is the most earthquake prone region in germany two types of rock were used to make the foundations hard black battled and a casing of softer rock made of volcanic ash to cushion earth tremors. The structural solution for the high Vaulted Ceilings is equally ingenious without the buttresses the window walls would lack the necessary stability. The area around the altar is supported by numerous arms this creates a solid structure that is nevertheless airy and whiteness. Its protected like a castle by colonel ations and tyrants yet he still might and transparent a medieval marvel erected in just seventy years. Possessed and for months imagine that youre living in the middle ages in a small have tempered house cologne with a city of half to make houses a stone house was a luxury your windows would have been about this big but what was in the windows not glass it was animal hide or oil soaked cloth and when it was cold in winter the shutters were closed so thats your home and then imagine yourself a pious medieval catholic stepping into the cathedral on. The this was the view that presented itself to pilgrims for centuries. The. The oldest window in the cathedral dates from twelve sixty sunlight makes the colors so intense and luminous that many at the time thought that the glass panes were precious stones but people didnt come to the cathedral just to see the windows. Below people made pilgrimages to the gold shrine that held relics of the magi it didnt matter what was inside the main thing was that people came they stayed overnight did some shopping bought some presents perhaps paid a visit to a brothel and then went home. But the good things are always far from finished after the area around the altar was completed the isles and parts of the south tower built. But then construction came to a halt for hundreds of years. In there in the sixteenth century cologne with an economic decline Martin Luther had arrived on the scene so indulgences were getting harder to sell gothic architecture was now well and truly passe the old building crane was left at the top of the unfinished tower and it stayed there squeaking in creaking for three hundred years. Over by i think that living with a stopgap solution to this unfinished project played an Important Role in shaping the mentality of the people here cologne is not a particularly beautiful city nor is it a world beater yet but its brilliant at being second rate like that so where does that ability to live with second best come from i think it may have to do with the fact that its most important building that was never finished but was always still functional and yet. The people of cologne didnt mind having a half finished cathedral the structure fell into disrepair under napoleon french troops occupied the city the archdiocese was dissolved in the cathedral became an ordinary parish church. For the catholics of course that was a bitter pill to swallow their church had been taken away from them it was now a military barracks and it was in a dreadful state on a day to some wisconsin mileage business and. That was the lowest point in the cathedrals history the french even use part of the structure as a stable. Of the two with during that period the mediaval archive was also lost and even today we dont know if it still exists or if it does where it might be the blueprint known as facade elevation f. Also disappeared at the time if. For subtle. F. Is an original mediaval drawing of the west portal the blueprint of the cathedral. To decide when and for the story of elevation and if it is quite incredible its four meters high drawn in ink on parchment few need and was rediscovered in the mid Nineteenth Century and how it of program half of it turned up in paris border into off before i know its importance but often told. It was found among a job lot of architectural drawings that was bought by a collector who had a special interest in cologne cathedral but the crucial left half was missing. And going to wind down santa drying was found in the attic of a tavern in damn stat and it proved a Perfect Match for the other half someone had been drawing gains on it that was lucky because otherwise it might have been thrown away and lost forever demand does this get down inflation and move the stick then there is the. The drawing showed precisely what the cathedral was originally intended to look like. After the three hundred year break the prussians resumed construction around the site entire streets of houses were demolished to maximize the majestic buildings visual impact a new square was created and it quickly drew crowds of local residents. To so mixed and the square is really popular and at the same time its a local landmark so people are always reinterpreting it and using it to promote their own interests but i think the square is more than just a stage. And very close as me are going to be in the city permits six major events a year to be held outside the cathedral but these events must be compatible with the dignity of the church whether that criterion is met by every street artist is debatable here but some musicians. Show up with amplifiers and play or sing the same song ten times a day we elect to engine fresh you can hear it in the confessionals where people come to pray and reflect to zoom to me to touch you thats really disruptive no doubt about it. I know blasting food into owner of. Speaking of disruptive in the mid one nine hundred eighty s. The Cathedral Square became a rendezvous point for skateboarders from all over the country christian shall count was one of them. Is five years there was a lot going on here and it was cool to be part of it the backdrop was cool too especially at night when the cathedral was lit up that was special and it makes you want to stay out there a while longer and skate to my own new fans of some of the clan. The debate went on for twenty years finally the skateboarders had to move elsewhere some of them a still upset about that decision. Those are the kinds of its purely subjective some people thought that we were violating the integrity of the cathedral but how can you damage cathedrals reputations in this the world so how can you do that by skateboarding the matheson and him here. So what is acceptable and what isnt outside cologne cathedral the debate about that is probably as old as the building itself and it continues today fuelled by the immediate proximity of the citys main Railway Station. To pick i know no other european city has a cathedral right next to a Railway Station you almost stumble into the cathedral when you leave the station the cathedrals north door used to be open and on a rainy morning commuters used to take a. Short cut through the church so the cathedral board had the door locked and. It was the prussians who wanted the main Railway Station built right next to the cathedral the idea was to create an impression of progress and modernity. Steel bracing the cathedral also has an iron roof truss despite opposition from local traditionalists it was used to preserve the cathedral Structural Integrity steel helps protect against fire and wood worms. But more importantly Industrial AgeTechnology Enabled the cathedral construction to be swiftly completed last American Engineers are said to have learned a lot here for later use in the construction of skyscrapers but it was the local population who benefited most. It was also a job creation scheme for current workers because the drop was always a project by and for the local community and in the Nineteenth Century especially there was a very close connection between the community and the cathedral that. When the cathedral was finished it was the tallest building in the world a powerful symbol but there was a price to be paid. The price the question is used the cathedral to advance their own agenda there was no more talk of the magi the cathedral is now a symbol of German National identity and in particular german unification. Their rights. When the german empire was founded in eight hundred seventy one the prussians emperor wanted to call the worlds attention to the new nation which extended as far west as the rhineland. Could be the police the rhineland had been german territory since the middle ages but was also claimed by friends the emperor needed a powerful symbol that represented german architecture and was located in the rhineland cologne cathedral fit the bill perfectly and a pastor. In. So the cathedral construction project became a symbol of german nation building and therefore took on a new political significance. Even today the cathedral often plays a symbolic role in various political efforts. In sr back in the one nine hundred sixty s. For example birth. Valid off and others including me held a religious service to protest the Death Penalty in spain. We went into the cathedral said some prayers and held a kind of vigil for. The vigil led by Nobel Laureate high novation both made headlines tabloid press portrayed it as an occupation if you hold a political event at a major location it has a major impact the cathedral has been the scene of numerous similar events since both prayer for peace. The cathedral draws political activists like a magnet. When your safina visit visited the cathedral for the first time with her family she could not know that she would one day stage a feminist protest there. Does and says im going to drove to cologne and as we got closer to the cathedral we played a game to see you could spot it first i won i can still remember the overwhelming sight of it you looked up and it seemed endlessly tall it was breathtaking and special guy and. A few years later vigil was looking for a place to stage a protest against the oppression of women. Protests we decided to hold the protest in a church and cologne cathedral came to mind right away. And invalid because its so big and because cardinal nice now is still in office its not. Cardinal Joachim Meisner archbishop of cologne known for his conservative views meisters perception of women made him the perfect target for the feminists protest. Even we had radical demands these included the overthrow of the entire patriarchal system and when a building ties patriarchal power so closely. A particular ideology its an obvious place to try to break that power at least for a day or even for a brief moment at. Christmas twenty thirteen protest and provocation in a sacred place on a sacred day. I was extremely nervous and excited it was christmas and everyone was in a christmassy mood including me it wasnt really a time for a protest so it was a really big deal and i knew it wasnt going to win me any friends most of this is made on the kind of foreign im not good. Thats done so as. I didnt think it would escalate to the point of physical violence. But i was afraid that it might have sworn. That saw the protest as an act of free speech. Escaped from theres a place for everything people can demonstrate but this is a place where others come to commune with god find greeks pray and celebrate the liturgy for their sake and for the sake of gods will i am ready clee opposed to such protests so when he got up early. He was a finn of it was arrested found guilty of gross interference with the exercise of religion and find. Its all everyone ok no cause for concern. Bookout yom has patrolled the Cathedral Square for twenty seven years he likes his job despite the rising threat level. Is this your backpack or they are step closer. Yes. It is until recently terrorism is not a new problem thats been around for a number of years but were still at risk of course is if you hear cologne is part of a danger zone that includes germany and all of europe found homes. So whats the answer fences more security personnel thats the sort thats been the best protection would be for people to just leave the cathedral of animist its a place of worship a place for pilgrims and the community as a whole dimensions some people who walk past might have their doubts about the cathedral but once they go inside they almost always find it a moving experience not been mentioned so at five. Since two thousand and seven the magic of the cathedral has been in hans by the new south window the work of cologne artist. Archbishop meissner thought the window was wholly unsuitable but after a lengthy debate the will of the cathedral board prevailed today its hard to imagine the south transept without it. But where there is light there is also shadow on november the second one nine hundred seventy five the cathedral treasury was robbed thieves got away with artworks worth several Million Dollars the crime caused a sensation. There were appeals on t. V. For anyone who had information on the crime to come forward and. The thieves gained access to the treasury through a ventilation shaft the cathedrals chief custody in was a pulled away the robbery was carried. Out. Is this i must give a reason to these people were not trying to steal art just gold and precious stones or you know stands over two hundred tore apart some extremely valuable items to get them as and then they get us not. In the. Senior Public Prosecutor might be a tell theres a mersch was in charge of the investigation it was one of the most exciting cases of her career. And it is. On the night of the crime some pedestrian saw two men climbing out of the cathedral the witness is. The only star who can roll for a look perpetrator split up and the witnesses lost track of them all the witnesses went to the Railway Police and told them what theyd seen. But the Railway Police said it wasnt their responsibility amazing but true you know why a bomb. The next day an artist who had a criminal record was identified as a prime suspect the prosecutor immediately ordered a search of his apartment and the stolen treasure was indeed there as investigators later discovered. If there was a suitcase behind the door in the hallway but before a proper search could be conducted two more men turned up they were later found to be accomplices so two Police Officers had three men to keep an eye on the suspects wife then saw her chance she said she felt ill walked out the door and took the suitcase with her. Is supposed to go to safety she went down to the basement and put the bag in a neighbors storage around who killed. The suspect allowed police to search his apartment and cellar storage room he knew that the back. It was gone as Police Closed in on the prime suspect he fled to belgrade then he persuaded a dental technician to melt down the gold they had to tell us the whole anger for months and he did melt down some of the items but others were so obviously valuable that he asked the suspect to spare them. But the suspect demanded that the precious stones be removed and the gold melted down. Just as good as your small team but a private detective working on the cover managed to track down the treasure. The italian we recovered a lump of compressed metal like a big salami it was a heartbreaking sight both of us plants. Thats why should this also. Took ten years to reconstruct the damaged items. Theft is not the only problem that Church Officials have to worry about theres also vandalism. In my mind doesnt the lighter spots up there are places that havent been exposed to weathering with thats where its been damaged by vandals and people climb up and use an umbrella to knock off a bit of a gargoyle or gable or pinnacle were very concerned about this why all the. Yards on this martin something you saw them under stone mason might spend a year and a half working on a canopy that type so it breaks your heart to see that were destroyed tons of it makes all of us angry of course so were trying to find new ways to protect the cathedral or is in does it what you want to believe just couldnt be done to one end and on to ships. Says the wave of sexual assaults in cologne on new years eve twenty fifteen there have been calls for to. If a security measures at the cathedral these include a fence around the entire building like the one on the south side that stops people youre an aging on the wall but many cologne residents dont like the idea of putting barriers around their field of. Indians when those in cross station and dirt are removed you can see some beautiful workmanship with all the wonderful stone carvings and sculptures from the Nineteenth Century these are real works of art and theyre being restored to their former glory and for. A conservator uses a laser to remove the dark dirt and the like colored stone underneath remains intact afterward the figures of the north portal seem brand new. But some of the sculptures still show signs of damage suffered during World War Two some would have faced by bullets or shrapnel the war pose the greatest threat to the cathedral in its entire history. By may nine hundred forty five cologne had been almost completely destroyed but one structure rose above the rubble the cathedral or what was left of it is philip a lot of americans arrive here on the rhine cruise ships and i take them on tours theyre convinced that the allies did not intend to bomb the cathedral but theres no credible ever. Tends to back that up and. From a distance the cathedral seems unscathed. If you mention a lot of people believe that the cathedral came through the wall without any major damage but thats wrong and the fact of the matter is that the cathedral suffered serious damage during the war not least because it was located next to the main Railway Station hope on hooves so had to do a few because the drill was hit by no less than fourteen allied bombs large parts of the roof of the navy collapsed on much of the north transept lay in ruins and the cathedral organ was destroyed. In order nine hundred forty three a bomb tore a massive hole in the north tower there were concerns that the tower might collapse so despite the water on complications the hole was bricked up partly by forced laborers after the walk alone was virtually unrecognizable only forty thousand people still lived among the ruins. Stopped kind could loughner as proud city and the oldest in germany was no more but the fact that the cathedral was Still Standing may have given people hope they saw that the cathedral had survived and they might chew so they stayed put the logical thing to do would be to leave there was nothing left here so i think the cathedral really did give strength and encouragement to the people of cologne. In one nine hundred forty eight to mark the cathedral seven hundredth anniversary a mass was celebrated in the chancel. The war damage in the north tower has been repaired you can recognize the temporary filling by its lighter color. To the plumber had done that filling survive for decades but it sparked an intense debate among preservationists some thought it should be removed others said it should be kept in place as a memorial to the wall. Despite and they could. It was decided that this scar should be removed even if it meant to raising a highly visible reminder of the citys recent history. From president had to personally i would have favored the other option but you have to respect the opinions of those who were affected by those events and still youve got to explain to people what that white spot is perceptions of buildings are always changing depending on how you explain the context annoyed at. A refugee boat as an altar. In may twenty sixth in cardinal vine a movie of archbishop of cologne sparked vehement debate with this mass held to mark the feast of corpus christi. The boat was later put on display in the cathedral a reminder of the essence of the christian message and a powerful political signal the story made headlines around the world. As a human and not just on its human religious and political level i think its brilliant that he used the cathedral in this way a corpus christi. The procession featuring a boat from lampedusa that saved refugees to shoot into quick hits on. So what sorts of activities are acceptable in the cathedral. There are lots of different answers in summer twenty sixteen provest gap back now open the doors to those who are attending the cologne Computer Games fair games com there was an exotic music a lighted laser show and a Party Atmosphere that put a new perspective on colognes largest structure. To not put combat flesh comes to more i want to build bridges perhaps people can take away more from these events than they think sided with god and for the idea was not just to address those who already have a close relationship with the church it was designed to reach out to those who might have a problem with this god this church and this fake what does it kill a human. Cologne cathedral a place for everyone even those who want to use it for their own purposes but who owns it now. Theres the city of cologne i hope all the people of cologne set my leg id say its owned by everyone who respects it and can feel its magic and that can be anyone from anywhere cologne cathedral belongs to the world and it. Doesnt and it doesnt belong to the archbishop or the archdiocese as a lot of people think that the cathedral belongs to itself. And thats more than just a legal formula the cathedral represents an obligation for the current generation and a gift to future generations. The be. The be. The be. The be. The be the but the be. The be. The be. The saddam in terms of sam gibbs to everything its the gently consequences absorbers the bible manners. Once they start theres no stopping them. The storm fifteen minutes on t w. Fighting for the case to take you seriously in the world of work heres whats coming up. On w. O. They do the deal for you its a mission such as tube smart limits because smart trucks are more stringent than legislation fine no movement down and brings. Recently dangerous stuff the fuck w. Made from on. The islam islam is bangladesh on the brink of civil war. We are scared we are very scared we have to stay and it will be up to fight for this fight against it are. Torn by domestic power struggles and the influence of islamist extremists. The countrys Democratic Institutions now face a serious threat. To islam and jean law we call for the name of law of islam of violence dominates the headlines the fear just put it in a. Couple of issues weve. Created but it is. Not enough to show. Bangladesh the dawn of islam is only starting in april twenty first on t. W. Plain. Moon. This is detail be a news live from berlin establishing a motive for the unthinkable police in the german city of munster scrambled to understand why a man she wrote a dance into a crowd killing two people Authorities Say there is no evidence of an islamist connection but theyre investigating all other possibilities also coming up. Donald trump takes to twitter to warn the Syrian Regime there will be a quote big price to pay and thats after rebels in duma and Eastern Ghouta say more than