Cathedral Steeples #3of4

In Köln, Germany, the huge black cathedral (completed 635 years after contruction started), with massive twin towers and with spires that rise to a height of 515 feet, is nearly overwhelming. Usually cathedral towers blend in with the building’s façade, but these, with much sculptural embellishment, appear to protrude beyond the walls of the cathedral, and the bulky (but lacy) steeples extend well above the roof-line before the spires taper to a point.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France, located on the Ile de la Cité (island), took 182 years to build. They followed the original plans to the end. Almost. Pointy spires had been planned, but when they started to build the spires, many years later, the people of Paris said, “Forget it, we like it just as it is.”

Stadtkirche (Church of St. Denis) in Esslingen, Germany, has two spires (not a matched set), with a bridge connecting the two, high above the church. We never did determine if visitors were allowed to cross on that walkway.

Picture postcards, photographed in August 1949 four years after the bombing of Dresden, Germany, show the steeple (with clock) of the Dreikonkirche (Three Kings church), survived the bombing with relatively little damage, while the photo shows extensive damage still existed in the rest of the city.

At the Cathedral in Strasbourg, France, only the north tower has a steeple with a pointy spire, while the top of the south tower remains flat. While some cathedrals were designed for only a single steeple, Strasbourg was built with two towers, but only one spire was added. The city and roof-top views from any cathedral’s tower, is well worth the climb.

Located just across the street from the large outdoor marketplace, the dual pointy spires with lacy open-work, of the Cathedral in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, are tall and slim. The inside of the church is very inspiring and well maintained.

Beside the Halle, Germany, town square, the Marienkirche (Mary’s Church, begun 1529), has two very tall, slim domed steeples on the marketplace end, and two very tall, slim pointed steeples at the parking lot end of the church.

And on top of the hill, west of the Regnitz River in Bamberg, Germany, four slender, sharp spires rise from this Romanesque (east end) and Gothic (west end) cathedral.