The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid on August 15, 1248, and the building was finished on October 15, 1880, after 632 years of construction. Work largely stopped around 1473 and resumed in 1842. The plan, a Latin cross, was closely based on Amiens Cathedral. Master Gerhard directed the eastern arm, and Ernst Friedrich Zwirner led the 19th-century work, which followed surviving medieval plans.
The cathedral is Gothic. It is 474 feet (144.58 m) long and 283 feet (86.25 m) wide, and its twin towers rise about 516 feet (157 m). From 1880 to 1884 it was the tallest structure in the world. Its most celebrated treasure is the Shrine of the Three Kings, a bronze and silver reliquary begun around 1190.
Fourteen aerial bombs struck the cathedral in the Second World War, but it remained standing. UNESCO listed it in 1996. About 6 million people visit each year, and 533 steps lead to a viewing platform.
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