Church of St Johann Baptist

Any of you visiting Cologne cannot help appreciating the beautiful churches that adorn it and which contribute to its rich heritage and culture. Cologne is a city of wonders, full of artistic monuments, buildings and has some of the most wonderful churches in the world. For those who are interested in German and Rhenish architecture, Romanesque, Cologne is like heaven to them. Rich with sculptures, carvings, relics and art they present the visitors a scene to behold.

Besides that, there are also many other churches that are worth mentioning, one of them being St. Johann Baptist Church. This humble church has something that Germany's glorious Cologne Cathedral cannot match: a leaning tower. The church St Johann Baptist (name originating from St. John, the Baptist) is a prominent building in the center. Though, this 1,000 year old church sustained heavy war-related damages and was rebuilt after that.

The church is named after Johann Baptist Alzog (8 June 1808- 1 March 1878) who was a German theologian and Catholic Church historian. He was born at Ohlau in Sislesia. He studied at Breslau and Bonn and was ordained priest at Cologne in1834. Some important facts about the church are as follows:

  -   This church is one of the few examples of expressionistic sacral architecture in Germany.
  -   Constructed in 1860 in neo-Romanesque style, St. Johann the Baptist Church got its look of today in 1922/23.
  -   Further enlargements to the church have been made by Dominikus Böhm
  -   The interior is dominated by a bow construction, which reminds of gothic vaults, flowing together in the middle to a rhombic fence pattern.
  -   The expressionistic light and space dynamic in the side chapels is especially impressive and they don't fail to delight the visitors.
  -   The buildings style is in Rococo, containing figurines and a crucifix made by artist Joseph Götsch (an Ignaz Günther scholar).

Cologne, after being appointed as the archbishopric town by Charles the Great, around year 800 became one of the most important towns in Central Europe. In addition to the flourishing trade at the important crossroads of European road and river routes Cologne also became the home to a number of cloisters and collegiate churches. Even in the Middle Ages tourism flourished in form of thousands of pilgrims that visited the   -  Rome of the North  -   every year.

Today, scattered all around central Cologne, there are 12 beautiful Romanesque churches that were built between 9th and 13th Centuries.Words simply cannot describe the beauty and uniqueness of each of these churches. You have to see for yourself to believe that how St. Johann Baptists church ,after being damaged so badly in the war, still stands tall proudly making the visitors overwhelmed by its beauty.

The church is open daily from 8 a.m to 6 p.m (Tuesday till 5 p.m), so don't forget to visit it!