Cologne Webcam Live
Cologne Cathedral, the Rhine river and the city skyline, seen from the KölnTurm and the LANXESS tower. Cologne, home to Germany's most visited landmark, whose twin Gothic spires took over 600 years to complete. Live 24/7.
Three webcams, from the cathedral to the Rhine
The KölnTurm HD camera sweeps across Cologne Cathedral, the Rhine, the trade fair grounds and the city center all the way to the Siebengebirge near Bonn, complemented by the LANXESS Towercam and WDR's dedicated cathedral cam.
Cologne — a cathedral six centuries in the making
Cologne sits on the Rhine in western Germany, its skyline dominated by the twin 157-meter spires of Cologne Cathedral. The site had already held a Roman temple and two earlier churches when Archbishop Rainald von Dassel brought the relics of the Three Magi from Milan in 1164, drawing pilgrims from across Christendom and setting in motion plans for a cathedral grand enough to house them.
The foundation stone was laid on August 15, 1248, but construction stalled for over 300 years after the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, leaving only a torso standing by 1560. Renewed Prussian interest in the 19th century finally completed the cathedral in 1880 — briefly the tallest building in the world before losing that title to the Washington Monument four years later. Behind its high altar, the gilded Shrine of the Three Kings remains the largest reliquary in the Western world.
What the three cameras show
KölnTurm — Cathedral & City
wetter.com · KölnTurmA sweeping HD view from Cologne's tallest office building, taking in the cathedral, the Rhine, the trade fair grounds and the city center.
Watch live →LANXESS Towercam
LANXESS · TowercamA live feed overlooking Cologne, offering another vantage point on the city and its riverside skyline.
Watch live →WDR Dom Cam
WDR · Cologne CathedralA dedicated camera on Cologne Cathedral from the regional broadcaster WDR, tracking the landmark and its restoration scaffolding.
Watch live →The relics said to belong to the Three Magi were seized from Milan's Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1164 and given to Cologne's archbishop. Parts of the relics have since been returned to Milan, but the gilded Shrine of the Three Kings, the largest reliquary in the Western world, remains in Cologne Cathedral to this day.
Cologne beyond the webcam
Hohenzollern Bridge: Europe's busiest railway bridge crosses the Rhine right beside the cathedral, its railings covered in thousands of padlocks left by couples.
Cathedral Treasury: beneath the cathedral, the treasury holds centuries of ecclesiastical art and relics beyond the Shrine of the Three Kings.
Rhine riverside walk: the promenade along the Rhine offers close-up views of passing river traffic and the cathedral's spires from below.
A cathedral whose construction spanned over six centuries, halted for more than 300 years by war and religious upheaval before finally being completed by 19th-century enthusiasm for the Middle Ages: Cologne Cathedral stands as proof that some buildings outlive every era they're built in.
When to watch
The cathedral, at golden hour: for the warm light on the twin Gothic spires as reflected in the Rhine below.
Getting there: Cologne is easily reached by rail across Germany and neighboring countries, with the cathedral standing right beside the main station, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
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