The interior of Cologne Cathedral

The Cathedral’s colourful glass windows are especially impressive. They sparkle like precious stones and bring a vibrant intensity of colour into the church. One of the Cathedral’s oldest stained-glass windows is the famous Bible Window, which is located in the central chapel of the ambulatory. The stained-glass windows play a key role in the Cathedral’s overall artistic conception. Gothic architecture is based on the concept of the “celestial city” as mentioned in the Old Testament. Glass was considered a reflection of the celestial light, which makes the Divine Wisdom visible and creates a mystical darkness.

Prior to World War II, the southern semitransept contained a window that was donated by King William I of Prussia and depicted standing life-sized figures of archbishops of Cologne and secular rulers. After the window was totally destroyed in the war, it was replaced by transparent glazing, which, however, was felt to be inadequate. In response, the Cologne-based painter Gerhard Richter was asked to design a new window. In accordance with the artist’s design, many small coloured squares now fill the window, which has an area of more than 100 m². For his design, Richter selected 80 shades of colour that were used in the 19th century stained-glass windows and that create an atmosphere which is similar to that originally intended by the medieval builders.

Tour of Cologne Cathedral: www.koelner-dom.de/erleben/rundgang-durch-denkoelner-dom (Only in German)