Cologne Cathedral completed after 632 years

Background. Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 but was halted in the years around 1560, leaving the edifice incomplete during the medieval period. The structure was nevertheless completed to its original medieval plan in 1880. The cathedral has been described as "a masterpiece of exceptional intrinsic value" and "a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe" — characterizations of the unified building despite its medieval incompleteness. The completion of Germany's largest cathedral was celebrated as a national event on 15 October 1880, 632 years after construction had begun.

Completion. Work on the cathedral was finished in 1880, marking 632 years of construction. At that time, the cathedral had a height of 157 meters, making it the tallest building in the world. The completion was celebrated as a national event on 15 October 1880, 632 years after construction had begun.

Legacy. Cologne Cathedral is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture. Despite having been left incomplete during the medieval period, it eventually became unified as "a masterpiece of exceptional intrinsic value" and "a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe." These descriptions concern the cathedral's eventual unified state rather than being dated outcomes of the 1880 completion itself.