Its construction began in the mid-13th century with the aim of replacing an old Carolingian cathedral. This new building would also house the headquarters of the Archbishopric of Cologne, so it had to have an appearance commensurate with its importance. The choice of the Gothic architectural style marked a radical break with the late Romanesque building tradition that had been common in the Rhineland until then.

Inspired by the tradition of French Gothic cathedrals, the building shows a great uniformity in the architectural style of all its components, taking into account that its completion did not occur until the last decades of the 19th century, more than six hundred years later. Its slow construction suffered innumerable setbacks that even saw the works paralyzed for long periods of time, until its completion was strongly supported by the German emperor, recognizing the Gothic style as a Germanic heritage.

Next to the cathedral, King Frederick William IV of Prussia would also order the construction of the impressive train station, a symbol of the fusion of the past and the future in the new Germany of the late 19th century.

At 157 meters high, its beautiful façade in staggered tracery stands out, culminating in two towers, each one with a bell tower. The plan of the building is 144 meters long and 45 meters wide, with a central nave 45 meters high. Large and colorful windows decorate its vault, supported by more than 100 pillars.

The altars and choirs, richly decorated, close the harmony of the whole; a Gothic work completed during the last decade of the 19th century.

The cathedral's most celebrated work of art is the Reliquary of the Three Wise Men, a large, richly decorated, gilded triple sarcophagus placed on the building's High Altar. It was a gift that Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, made to the Church of Cologne in 1164, after conquering Milan.

Thanks to this, during the Middle Ages, the cathedral became an important European pilgrimage center, which came to admire and venerate the remains of the Three Wise Men. The sarcophagus was opened in the second half of the 19th century and found to contain bones and articles of clothing.

In addition to the reliquary, another of the cathedral's treasures is the High Altar, built in black marble, with white marble niches and the Coronation of the Virgin in the center. Also noteworthy is the Gero Crucifix, the oldest north of the Alps, as well as various notable pictorial works in its different chapels and altars.

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