1843 - 1847

1843

May 11th. 18th Session of the management board. Once more the assembly elected von Wittgenstein president. He declared to decline the poll due to work overload. Thereupon governing councillor Rolshausen was elected president in a new ballot.

December 31st. 330 workers were employed with Cathedral building. The society’s gains added up to 79.303 Thaler in total.

1844

April. Workings on southern transept defaulted, since the necessary stone material was difficult to procure. A few months single stones had to be waited for.

June. Constructing the northern portal of the western frontage was started.

September 4th. Central Cologne Cathedral Building Society’s commemoration of laying the foundation stone September 4th, 1842 with the following programme: Viewing of Cologne Cathedral building, festive assembly in Deutz, fireworks on the Rhine and festal ball.

December 31st. 115.000 Thaler were spent on Cathedral building in 1844; most of that year’s time about 400 workers were employed. The income of Central Cologne Cathedral Building Society amounted to 35.363 Thaler, contributing 30.000 Thaler to Cathedral building. Arcades of southern transept and the nave’s southern side were built up to triforium sill, all aisle- vaults of southern nave and transept were closed.

1845

April 14th. Sulpiz Boisserée presented an iconographic programme for the nine portals and column figures of the Cathedral’s interior, titled “Suggestion regarding the holy sculptures for Cologne Cathedral”. August. Steinl’s frescoes in the arcades’ angles of the High Altar / ((choir loft)) were finished.

August 13th. Escorted by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, Queen Victoria of England visited Cologne Cathedral.

1846

June. The vaults of the northern nave aisles were closed.

December 31st. The triforium of the nave was completed. Of the 24 new aisle-vaults to be built, 18 were closed. 160.555 Thaler were spent on Cathedral building, 86.504 of which came from society’s means. The income of the Central Cologne Cathedral Building Society decreased in 1846 down to 24.555 Thaler, though. But Zwirner had calculated on 60.500 Thaler from the society’s funds in his appropriation plan for 1847. Here a significant funding gap had already been looming ahead, which in November 1848, two years later led to the final depletion of Cathedral building funds.

1847

September 23rd. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV visited Cologne Cathedral and viewed the construction site. In the central aisle the workings for manufacturing the interim ceiling had just begun. Afterwards His Majesty visited the Cathedral builder’s hut.

1848

As memorial sign of the society a steel engraving was presented from a drawing of Cathedral master builder Zwirner, which showed Cologne Cathedral’s state of construction on August 14th, 1848 seen from Southwest.