The Gothic

Gothic came from France but took on German forms of its own: hall churches with aisles as high as the nave, Brick Gothic along the Baltic and huge spires.

Cologne Cathedral was begun in 1248 on the model of Amiens. Building came to a halt in the late Middle Ages, and the cathedral was only completed in 1880, following the medieval drawings, as a national monument. Ulm Minster received its tower only in 1890 – at 161 metres the tallest church tower in the world.

In the Hanseatic towns along the Baltic people built in brick, and the Marienkirche in Lübeck became the model for a long series of churches around the Baltic.

• Cologne Cathedral