Cologne Cathedral

20,000 people visit Cologne Cathedral every day; that’s a total of six million visitors per year. For many art historians, the cathedral is the “most Gothic of Gothic cathedrals”, architecture par excellence. In 1880, when it was completed, the cathedral was the tallest building in the world. In what is almost a love letter to the world famous monument, this documentary sets out to examine the public’s fascination with this Gothic masterpiece. It tells its history, sets it in the context of the exciting era of the Gothic style and ventures back in time to the century in which it was built. Cinematic re-enactments and breathtaking imagery and animations present Cologne’s cathedral as a “little piece of heaven”. Those who delve into its secrets will most certainly stumble on the reason why it was actually built in the first place, its role as a palace to house what were the most valuable relics of the Middle Ages: the remains of the Three Magi. The film also addresses the weaknesses of the impressive monument, which could not have survived without the enthusiasm and dedication of its “caretakers”. This is an homage to an extraordinary structure.

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