Tourists will have to pay from July Entry fee now also payable for Cologne Cathedral
Tourists will soon no longer be able to visit the cathedral for free.
Image: dpa
Probably the most famous church in Germany is a popular photo motif.
Image: dpa
Until now, the interior of the cathedral was free of charge for tourists.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Tourists will soon no longer be able to visit the cathedral for free.
Image: dpa
Probably the most famous church in Germany is a popular photo motif.
Image: dpa
Until now, the interior of the cathedral was free of charge for tourists.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Around six million people visit what is probably Germany's most famous church, Cologne Cathedral, every year. Until now, this has been free of charge. This is about to change for tourists.
05.03.2026, 23:16
dpa
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- In future, tourists will also have to pay to visit Cologne Cathedral. An entrance fee will be payable from July, the amount is not yet known.
- However, Germany's most famous church will remain free for those attending services and praying.
- According to the cathedral provost, 99 percent of visits to the church are made by tourists.
- With the introduction of a fee, Cologne Cathedral is in good company. Admission to the Sagrada Família in Barcelona costs more than 30 euros. A visit to Westminster Abbey in London costs around 35 euros.
Cologne Cathedral is visited by around six million people every year, most of whom are tourists. It is precisely these people who will be asked to pay to visit the interior from July. This was announced by the cathedral chapter at a press conference.
However, the almost 160-metre-high church will remain free of charge for those attending services and praying as well as members of the Central Cathedral Building Association. Access to sacrificial candles and silent prayer in certain areas will also remain free of charge. However, according to cathedral provost Guido Assmann, tourists make up around 99 percent of visitors to the cathedral.
The cathedral chapter did not yet want to disclose how high the so-called "viewing fee for tourist visitors" will be and how controls will be carried out. The fee is intended to cover the increased costs of maintenance, protection and ongoing operation of the cathedral, which have now exceeded income for years.
The cathedral's reserves will soon be exhausted
Until now, the large interior of the cathedral has been free of charge, but admission has been charged for the treasury and the ascent to the viewing platform. The cathedral chapter has now announced that it has made minus six years in a row since 2019. For many years, it would have been possible to make up for this with reserves. "We have found ourselves in a situation where Cologne Cathedral's reserves have been used up for the foreseeable future," explained cathedral rector Clemens van de Ven.
A closed meeting at the beginning of the week dealt with the development of the cathedral's economic situation and concluded that the increased costs could no longer be met without the entrance fee. In the coming weeks, a planning phase will clarify further details. The plan is also to discuss campaign days with free admission for certain visitors.
World cultural heritage site with 632 years of construction
Cologne Cathedral, whose foundation stone was laid in 1248 but only completed 632 years later in 1880, is considered one of the most important Christian churches in the world and a Gothic masterpiece, a landmark of the city of Cologne sung about in numerous songs and a World Heritage Site. Up to 2,000 church services are held there every year, which remain free of charge.
According to the cathedral chapter, attempts have already been made in recent years to increase income through various measures. For example, admission has been charged for concerts, the more than 500-step climb up the tower and the treasury, and some entrances have been closed at off-peak times to save on staff. However, these measures were not enough.
The admission fee for tourists is now "a step that we as the cathedral chapter are taking in a well-considered manner and in awareness of our great responsibility", said cathedral provost Guido Assmann. "It may appear to some as an intrusion into cherished habits. But there is no alternative if we want to continue the care, protection and ongoing operation of the cathedral in the proven manner."
Decline in visitors expected - and the resulting benefits
Although the fee could lead to a decrease in visitors, this could have a positive effect on the atmosphere inside the cathedral, which is often overcrowded. The daily operations could be calmed down and the cathedral could once again be experienced more as a place of worship and a sacred space.
It is also not an unusual step, "which has long been common practice at many other churches and cathedrals of similar prominence," Assmann emphasizes. In fact, although churches in Germany are generally free of charge, similarly famous churches in Europe also charge admission fees. Admission to the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, for example, costs more than 30 euros and visitors to the famous Westminster Abbey in London also have to pay around 35 euros. Admission to the main areas of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican or Florence Cathedral, on the other hand, is free of charge.
Members of the Dombau-Verein remain exempt
Barbara Schock-Werner, President of the Zentral-Dombau-Verein (ZDV) also refers to the common practice in large cathedrals throughout Europe. "We recognize that this step has become necessary," says Schock-Werner according to the press release. According to her, ZDV members, who bear around 60 percent of the building maintenance costs each year, remain exempt from the entrance fee.
