The second tallest Gothic structure after Ulm Minster is the spire of which cathedral?

The spire of Cologne Cathedral is traditionally identified as the second-tallest Gothic church structure after Ulm Minster. Cologne’s twin towers reach about 157 meters, while Ulm Minster’s steeple rises to roughly 161.5 meters.

Cologne Cathedral was begun in 1248, but medieval construction stopped for centuries. Work resumed in 1842 using the surviving medieval plans and drawings, and the cathedral was completed in 1880. Its towers therefore combine medieval design with major nineteenth-century construction.

The building’s enormous height depends on the Gothic structural vocabulary of pointed arches, rib vaults and flying buttresses. Its plan was closely influenced by Amiens Cathedral, especially in the width-to-height proportions of the central nave.

The ranking needs careful wording. Cologne is the tallest cathedral and the tallest twin-spired church, but it is not the tallest church of any kind: Ulm Minster is higher, and modern rankings may also place newer structures such as Barcelona’s Sagrada Família above both. The quiz’s comparison refers to Gothic church architecture.