COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS
The majestic gothic Cathedral in Cologne, stands defiant as one of the greatest achievements for those many people of religious faith, skilled craftsmanship, dedication and blind persistence. It is testament to all who collaborated on a project of such huge magnitude. It's thanks to those many, that this beautiful building is here today for us to see in all its glory.
Looking at one of the ornate designs on merely one relatively small segment of limestone that makes up just one of the two gigantic 157.4m towers - you get a sense of the enormity facing the designers, engineers, stone masons etc. - so many of which, would not have lived to see the finished building.
The foundation was laid on 15 august 1248 but building was stopped in the early 16th century. For another 300 years, the church remained in a state of limbo until enthusiasm was awakened again with the recommencement of building work in 1842. The towers, built in accordance with the original designs and with 80+ of the very best of the masons from the Rheinland, were then completed in 1880. That's 632 years from start to finish. Even the youngest of the workers from the latter years would have been working for most of their adult life to see the job completed.
The foundation was laid on 15 august 1248 but building was stopped in the early 16th century. For another 300 years, the church remained in a state of limbo until enthusiasm was awakened again with the recommencement of building work in 1842. The towers, built in accordance with the original designs and with 80+ of the very best of the masons from the Rheinland, were then completed in 1880. That's 632 years from start to finish. Even the youngest of the workers from the latter years would have been working for most of their adult life to see the job completed.
Destructive Efforts
If the sheer scale of the work required to build something of such magnitude isn't enough of a reminder for how great collaborative forces can be for good, then, looking at the contrasting pictures of devastation caused in Cologne from the allied bombing (as well as the almost total devastation created across many of the other German cities like Dresden) as a stark reminder of how quickly the great work of so many can be reduced to rubble through collaborative efforts. And yet, after all the fighting, some of the most symbolic film from the end of WWII, captured on film this historical tank battle. a German Panther tank sits defiantly defending this 'heart of Germany' in a significant last stand against allied tanks - with the Cathedral rising out of the debris, and by some miracle, still intact - symbolising (as did St Paul's Cathedral in London), the soul of the German people.
In the above picture, the decimated tank is being guarded from sightseers who were taking pictures at a location where many lives were lost - 25,000 civilians died in Cologne air raids alone. The allies not only realised the importance of the building as propaganda for the Germans, but also recognised it's historical importance and majestic beauty.
Starting Again
And so, the 600 years to make something great, was very nearly undone in the 6 years of WWII. Many other great buildings and historical towns were flattened elsewhere in Europe including Poland, Holland, France and England - leaving them inhospitable and requiring many thousands of hard work to rebuild again. It is this effort that I find the most difficult to fathom and yet the most heartening. Because rebuilding something that has had so much invested already and then having to start again to try and make just as good - this is where the real heart of collaboration lies. I am always amazed when looking at the pictures of Dresden, Cologne, Warsaw, London - or any of the destroyed cities, to see how they have been re-created and restored to something of their former glory - and again with even greater collaborative efforts.
