Deutschland. Das Land der Dichter und Denker. Which is German for: “The country of poets and thinkers”. That’s a common expression for Germany’s cultural heritage, which includes everyone from Johann Wolfgang Goethe who wrote the famous story of Faust to Martin Luther who initiated the Protestant Reformation to the Grimm Brothers or Brothers Grimm who are known for their many tales, it’s probably fair to say that we know at least one German who has left a major impact on the world. By many accounts, Germany seems to be doing quite well for itself. Oh, by the way, did we tell you we’re on Twitter? Yup, that’s right! Check us out on @ChurchMapped. Anyway, as I was saying, Germany has the largest economy in Europe ahead of European neighbours such as the United Kingdom and France. Depending on who you ask, Germany has either the third or fourth largest economy in the world. How’s that for Wirtschaftswunder! Things weren’t always so great for the Germans though. During the Weimar Republic back in the 1920s – yes, a long time ago – the Germans experienced substantial problems with their economy, particularly with the value of their currency. The Papiermark, as it was then known, lost so much value it was used as wallpaper. But things have improved since then, and Germany now uses the Euro. So if you are travelling to Germany to see Cologne Cathedral which is the church we’ll be reviewing today, be sure to bring Euros and not Papiermarks! Speaking of travel, Germany regularly ranks as having the world’s most powerful passport, or Reisepass as they say in Germany, according to the 2018 Henley Passport Index. This measures the number of countries a person can visit with a particular passport without needing a visa. Currently it’s 177 for the German passport which means you can effectively travel the entire world. Talk about worldwide recognition! Speaking of travel too, how about a brief German lesson? German is a notoriously difficult language. The Foreign Service Institute in the United States, a department of the federal government that gives advice to employees about foreign affairs, puts German in the “class 2” of languages. For comparison’s sake, French, Spanish and Italian are in the “class 1” group of languages whilst Mandarin is in “class 5”. That makes German the most difficult major European language. We all know how to say “Good morning” and “Goodbye” in German – “Guten Morgen” and “Auf Widersehen” respectively. But what makes German so difficult? Many things. First you have the use of articles before words – der, the masculine gender, die, the feminine gender and das, the neuter gender – which are supposed to denote gender but leads you into weird situations like where a young girl is “das Fraulein” which means a young girl has no gender because “das” is the neuter gender in German. That was noted originally by Mark Twain. Though having said that, the word Fraulein isn’t used that much these days in Germany. Then you have the use of cases: the nominative case, the accusative case, the dative case and the genitive case. The English language pretty much only uses the nominative case. But in German, which case you use depends on whether you are just naming the object – for instance, “the ball” – or whether you are doing something to the object – for instance, “I am kicking the ball” – or whether you are doing something indirectly to the object – for instance, “I will speak to the ball” (Hey come back) – or whether the object has anything in possession, a bit like our apostrophe – for instance, the ball’s home. And even then, this list is not exhaustive, because the case can change for arbitrary reasons because of the use of prepositions such as “auf”, “mit” and “bis”. Yes, I know! So confusing! Then the verb is mostly in the second place, but then sometimes right at the end. It’s amazing how many rules Germans seem to remember. So remember, if you’re ever lost, just raise your hands and shout: “Ich spreche Englisch”. Someone will hopefully come to your help. Hopefully. Remember in school when you got into trouble and your teacher instructed you to write lines as punishment? Oh, those were the days! But imagine doing that in German. German is notorious for its long words. Consider the word donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft and imagine having to write that over and over and over again. Ja, not nice! As if German is not hard enough, the people of Cologne – a city in Germany where we will be looking at its cathedral - have something of their own language. They joke that it’s the only language you can drink because Koelsch, the language they speak, shares the same name as the beer that is brewed in Cologne. Ok, that hopefully gives a good overview of Germany and a bit of insight into Cologne. Let’s actually go and do some exploring. But before we begin exploring Cologne, ever wondered what Westminster Cathedral in London is like? We have a travel guide showing you everything you need to know about Westminster Cathedral in a busy city like London. Or have you considered visiting the United States? We’re recommending Minnesota and its capital city, St. Paul. Find out how this city was once named Pig’s Eye and the cathedral the city take its newer name from. ChurchMapped is an upcoming technology company with a Christian focus. Our travel website focuses on churches around the world. Want to know where the best art is? Or where to get married? Or even the best place for some peace and quiet? We’ve got you covered! ChurchMapped is also launching a dating, jobs, music and games service. Excited? We are too! Just be sure to visit ChurchMapped.com when we fully launch! Super! We’re off to Cologne! It probably goes without saying that if you are coming to Cologne, you are most likely planning on visiting Cologne Cathedral. Construction for Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and it has been a defining landmark of Germany ever since. It is one of the most visited landmarks in Germany today and it was at one point the largest structure in the world. We created a travel guide showcasing all you need to know about Cologne Cathedral. Just be sure to click the button above to be taken to our amazing travel guide of Cologne Cathedral. But there is more to Cologne than Cologne Cathedral. Cologne has an efficient transport system – typical of the Germans, eh? – and it has a scene that breathes creativity. Just look at this African artist. And listen to this drummer guy. Cologne possesses the unique quality of being able to blend the old with the new, and history with modernity. The history of Cologne doesn’t stop with Cologne Cathedral. Cologne is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Cologne, or in German Universitaet zu Koeln. One of the city’s most famous inhabitants and the university’s most famous graduate is St. Albert the Great. He was a pioneer in medicine, biology and theology in the 13th century. Great indeed! Speaking of St. Albert, do you know what ChurchMapped is? ChurchMapped is an upcoming technology company with a Christian focus. Whilst our travel section focuses on churches around the world, we have a games section too. One of our upcoming games allows you to collect and trade cards of your favourite saints. But we can’t reveal too much right now. Just subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Twitter and give us a ‘like’ on Facebook to be kept in the loop on updates as to when we fully launch. Now back to where I was. Oh yes, Cologne is rich with religious history apart from Cologne Cathedral. The city has 12 Romanesque churches, built between 1150 and 1250, one of which is St. George’s Church where we will be heading to today. The central city district of Cologne is called “Innenstadt” and it can be divided into five parts: Altstadt-Sued, Neustadt-Sued, Altstadt-Nord, Neustadt-Nord and Deutz. The Innenstadt houses the most popular tourist attractions of Cologne, from Cologne Cathedral to the various Romanesque churches of the city such as St. Andreas’ church which we will be reviewing some time in the future. St. George’s Church itself is located in Altstadt. The exact date St. George’s church was constructed is not exactly known, but it is believed to have been consecrated in 1067 under Archbishop Anno II sometimes spelled as Hanno II. He is now commemorated as a saint. In fact, you see him the moment you look at the entrance of the church. He is depicted here together with St. George. Furthermore, if you look above, he is also commemorated above together with St. George and the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a child Jesus. The church fell into disrepair in the early parts of the 20th century, forcing it to close in 1921. There was an attempt to repair it later on in the 1920s, although this too was ultimately in vain because the Second World War caused substantial damage to its architecture. It is what is on the inside that perhaps distinguishes St. George’s Church. One of the striking thingss that a mindful visitor will note is how the entrance is filled with thank you notes. These are all to a man called St. Jude. Catholics usually request his prayers in a situation that seems hopeless. He is the patron saint, or go-to man, of seemingly impossible endeavours. These notes were written by those who believe their prayers were answered. So the next time you go out to get that lottery ticket, you know just the man to ask! Another distinguishing aspect of St. George’s Church, Cologne is its emphasis on those with disabilities, particularly for those with hearing difficulties. So if you are a tourist or believer with disabilities, you know just the church to visit! One of the things that strikes you as you enter into the church is its simplicity. In comparison to other churches, not least Cologne Cathedral, there aren’t as many stained glasses or statues. Earlier it was mentioned that the church was damaged badly during the Second World War. Well, the crucifix above the altar is one testament to this; it is in fact a reconstruction of the original copy which is housed in the Museum Schnuetgen which is also in Cologne. The stained windows here were primarily developed by Jan Thorn Pikker, a Dutch artist known for his art within the “New Art” movement. That wraps up St. George’s church Cologne! I hope you enjoyed your time exploring. In an upcoming episode, we’ll be heading to Brussels, Belgium to see the Church Of Our Lady of the Sablon. Don’t forget to give Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany and Westminster Cathedral in London, United Kingdom a look too if you haven’t already. If you are missing London, we have an upcoming episode of where we will be reviewing Guardian Angels Church in the East End of London. Please do subscribe to us on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Until next time!