1880 - 1900

1880 – The year of perfection.

June 19th. The last joist of the towers’ scaffolds was pulled up. These were the highest wooden scaffolds to this date.

July 23rd. The Cathedral’s northern tower was completed at 6 pm. At this point in time it was the highest edifice of the world. August 9th. For the first time Cologne Cathedral could be entered through the main entrance.

August 14th. The southern tower was completed, except for the closer in the finial. ZDV had aspired August 15th, the day of laying the foundation stone in 1248, as the day of completion of Cologne Cathedral and since February 26th organised the conducting of the Cathedral-building ceremony for that day. The keystone was “only temporarily brought on location” but not yet “moulded”. A charter was supposed to be inserted in the finial. This act was reserved to the official completion ceremony.

August 25th. By decision of the cabinet the emperor, who had dallied away the possible date of completion on August 15th, determined the ceremony of the Cathedral’s perfection to be on October 15th, the birthday of his brother, Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The Metropolitan-chapter received a special “request, to hold a Te Deum on this day... (and) to chime the bells...”

September 4th. Conference with envoys of the town Cologne, the government and the Central Cathedral Building Society concerning the Cathedral’s completion ceremony. A festive table of events is worked out and submitted to the Emperor for approval. The Cathedral chapter was not invited to collaborate.

September 14th. The Metropolitan-chapter, who had learned from the paper about the festive table of events, complained in a letter to the president about not having had the opportunity to participate in shaping the programme. They request to change the table of events so, that service of thanksgiving, the Te Deum, takes place after the secular celebration. In the present form “the project is unacceptable.”

September 21st. Since the wishes for changes of the festive programme were dismissed, the Metropolitan-chapter declared to be unable to participate in any celebration outside the Cathedral. Furthermore they were denied free insight into that text, which was to be the signed document for the Cathedral’s completion. In return they denied to sign the document.

October 15th. Cathedral’s completion ceremony. It took place in the presence of the German emperor Wilhelm I., of almost all princes, rulers and leaders of free imperial cities. At this most glamorous of all Cathedral building celebrations all Cathedral building friends missed the archbishop deeply, who had not sat foot in the archbishopric since his escape. Also the Metropolitan-chapter snubbed by the state authorities did not participate in the outer festivities. The celebration was focused entirely on the emperor.

1881

April18th. Pope Leo XIII. answered ZDV’s address dated March 21st, 1881 on the occasion of Cathedral’s completion and expressed his gratitude for the presents sent to him, among them the Cologne Cathedral building completion medal in gold. The remaining golden medals were received by the emperor Wilhelm I. and the empress Augusta.

1889

September. The first bronze door designed by Professor Schneider from Kassel was installed in the northern portal of the western frontage. The door measures 1,84 m x 5,40 m, so it has a size of 10 square meters. In total 12 openings of that kind of the Cathedral were to be closed.

1892

November 18th. Robert Esser, son of former ZDV’s president Ferdinand Esser was elected president after Oswald Schmitz was deceased.

1895

May 20th. August Reichensperger was given the freedom of the town and thus became Cologne’s citizen of honour.

June 16th. August Reichensperger passed away.

1898

May. With the completion of the tessellated floor in front of the high altar the restoration of the Cathedral’s floor is finished and the greatest extravaganza of the 19th century is completed. Including the preliminary work the creation of the 1300 square meters tessellated floor, the crossing, ambulatory and the choir had taken almost 15 years. A detailed description of this achievement interspersed with countless inscriptions is not available to this day.