New stars shine at the cathedral: Cologne residents celebrate support and culture!

New stars shine at the cathedral: Cologne residents celebrate support and culture!

There is always exciting news in Cologne that affects both the history and culture of this fascinating city. There was recently a celebratory event at Cologne Cathedral that offered some interesting insights into the connection between tradition and modernity. The “carpet of stars” in front of the north portals was expanded to include a dramatic six large and 18 small donor stars. These stars bear the names of the generous supporters who contribute to the preservation of the cathedral with their donations. Over 100 guests came to the celebration in the high choir of the cathedral to show their gratitude to these donors, as Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports.

Monsignor Guido Assmann explained that the names on the new stars often represent nostalgic motivations, be it in the form of gifts for birthdays or in memory of deceased relatives. The Cologne Cathedral Cultural Foundation, which launched the “11,000 Stars for Cologne Cathedral” project, has supported many projects to preserve the cathedral and its cultural heritage since its founding 13 years ago. With the new stars, the total number of stars is now 740. Simone Dudel, the managing director of the cultural foundation, emphasized in her speech the citizens' great commitment to the cathedral.

Cultural projects and digital reconstruction

A particularly outstanding project supported by the donations is the digital reconstruction of the Old Cathedral. A fascinating fact: beneath the impressive Gothic structure of today's cathedral lie the remains of the Old Cathedral, a Carolingian pillar basilica that was built around 800 under Emperor Charlemagne and Archbishop Hildebold. The first archaeological excavations in this area began in 1946, and since then archaeologists have collected a lot of important information in order to understand the history of the Old Cathedral, as Kölner Dom reports.

A new visualization of the interior is currently being worked on, which is based on extensive analyzes of the finds and architectural fragments. The reconstruction, which is also based on comparative examples of similar buildings, is carried out by Dr. Dorothea Hochkirchen and architecture student Konstantin Kruse led the project, using modern forensic methods to create accurate 3D models. Cathedral builder Peter Füssenich expressed his enthusiasm for the new presentation of the results.

A look into the future

The digital interior reconstruction of the Old Cathedral will be presented on November 2nd during Museum Night in Cologne. The cathedral excavation is open from 7 p.m. to midnight, with last admission at 11:30 p.m. This innovative presentation will not only bring history to life, but also provide access to valuable cultural knowledge, which only further underlines the relevance of the cathedral as a cultural center, including Arzdiocese of Cologne.

The efforts to preserve and promote cultural projects around Cologne Cathedral impressively show how closely the past and present are intertwined. Both the latest donor stars and the digital reconstruction of the Old Cathedral are living signs of the connection that Cologne residents have with their landmark.