Kreuzblumen of the Cologne Cathedral

The well-known crucifers are a central shaft, which is surrounded by 2 different leaf creepers. They are among the most important sights. They date from the last construction phase of the Cologne Cathedral around the year 1880. So you can see a little longer. However, the plans go back to the well-known master builder Ernst Friedrich Zwirner, born in 1861, which was based on the already existing original, medieval outline of the façade. A great result was certain to him. In its design, the cross-flowers should have a diameter of around 5.20 meters. So it was actually thought. Zwirner's successor as the cathedral master was the no less well-known Richard Voigtel. He is regarded as a full-fledged cathedral. Thus he became known all over the world. He initially planned a smaller diameter from the beginning 5.02 meters, then 4.75 meters. That was then for the lower leaf rim. The limits of the material to be obtained in the Oberkirchener Steinbruch were then given as the actual scale: the final diameter of the lower leaf crane is 4.58 meters. Its height is about 8 meters. A really impressive work of art.

Creative transport to the windy heights

In the 19th century, the builder also faced a special challenge to the builder, in addition to his size, to a height of more than 150 meters. You had to think of something. Not only were the scaffolding and the cable hoists too weak, but also the steam-driven load elevator had a maximum weight of 4 tons. So it was a bit difficult. A blade consisting of a whole piece would have weighed more than 17 tons on its own. This is a very nice crowd. This is also the reason why the crucifixes with their approximately 37 cubic meters of stone have been composed of 24 stones. So it was easier.

Construction and building materials

In order to fix this construction on the top of the tower, a well-functioning system of brackets and armouring, usually made of copper, was developed to counter the risk of corrosion. That was well thought out then. The leaves of the lower leaf corolla, which are compacted in the middle on a relatively small surface, reach outwards to 2.30. They are therefore hardly to be overlooked. They are, on the one hand, supported from below by steel columns, but from above they are held by an octagonal copper strip on the shaft, as well as by metal rods. On this construction you have to come first. Through the center of the shaft, a wrought-iron bar of about 10 centimeters in diameter and 21 meters in length was used for better stabilization through a copper sheath. For the time, that was a foolish consideration. In the winter of 1879/80 the crucifixes were made in the stonemasonry workshop of the Dombauhütte. It took some time. The raising and setting began on July 16, 1880, after the scaffolding of the elevator had been reinforced as a precaution. That was certainly better. For example, the cables of hemp were replaced by steel ropes. This gave you more stability. The crucifixes from the northern tower were completed on July 23rd, 1880, and erected, the crucifixes of the southern tower on the 14th of August, 1880, but without the closing stone, which was used for the celebration of the completion on the 15th October of 1880.

Protests of the Cologne

Just after the completion, the protests from the population began to multiply because the crucifixes, despite their distance, were too compact and too clumsy. She really made a funny impression. Therefore, shortly afterwards, a manual finishing of the leaf rims was decided. Peace was restored. In the winter of 1880/81, wooden casings were placed around the crucifixes to provide workers with a well-heated workspace in the cold. After all, people want to offer something to the people. About 40 stonemasons worked here until February 12, 1881, which later made the leaf wreaths very delicate. It was a lot of work. Already the Dombaumeister Voigtel had actually strived for the production of a 3rd Kreuzblume as a "monument of the cathedral completion". In the highly acclaimed year of cathedral building in 1980, the famous sculptor Uspelkat built a model on the basis of the design drawings, which had been erected on March 18 of 1980 in front of the cathedral. A real attraction. Although the model was not quite as accurate as the original, the model was very popular.

Wind and Weather

It was quite badly damaged in 1990 by the hurricane named Wiebke. The hurricane was unfortunately quite thorough. On October 11, 1991, the traffic authority of the City of Cologne had a completely new model of the Kreuzblume erected in front of the Cologne Cathedral. So everything was restored. The object is very nice.

New Construction

The model of concrete from the southern cross flower in the scale 1: 1 was placed about 50 meters in front of the Westfassade of the cathedral. You should marvel at it here in any case. The true-to-the-original plastic shows dimension as well as details of its model. So nothing essential was lost. In an effort to replace this model with a much more durable construction, the choice was made on a cast of concrete in comparison to the natural stone. That did not hurt the whole. But on the contrary. At first the crucifix was surveyed from the southern tower and photographed from the air. Which was also quite useful. On a 1: 1 model, the later shroud was applied, which still received a supporting body for the casting. After all, everything should be stable. The finished construction includes 13 finished parts made of dark gray colored steel. Looks quite well. Except for the solid leaf rims as well as the keystone, the parts are designed for the saving of weight as a hollow body with a wall thickness between 15 and 20 centimeters. So you have a lot to think about here. The crucifixion, finished by a crane, appears almost 10 meters high, five meters wide. It weighs 35 tonnes. This is, after all, less than half the natural stone model. So already considerable. The cross-flowers are surrounded by a circular flowerbed. It carries at the pedestal writing boards in 15 languages. So everyone thought about it.

Sights of Cologne

The model of the Kreuzblume has become a very popular meeting place in front of the cathedral and forms the starting point of many city tours around the Cologne Cathedral. So you see for yourself, the crucifix is a very interesting sight. Just visit them. After all, she is simply a part of a visit to Cologne.

Address and location

Kardinal-Höffner-Platz, 50667 Cologne

The Kreuzblumen and the Cathedral: very close to our Fewos Cologne

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