Cologne Cathedral: View of nave vaulting, looking towards apse

The choir of the cathedral, measured between the piers, holds the distinction of having the largest height to width ratio of any Medieval church, 3.6:1, exceeding even Beauvais Cathedral which has a slightly higher vault.\u000a\u000aCologne Cathedral, dedicated to St Peter and the Virgin Mary, follows the pattern of the High Gothic cathedrals of northern France. The 4 m high parchment drawing (ca. 1300) of the design of the west fa\u00E7ade provided guidelines for the 19th-century builders. There were no such medieval guidelines for the transept fa\u00E7ades, which were designed afresh by the cathedral architect Ernst Friedrich Zwirner. For four years, 1880-1884, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument. It has the second-tallest church spires, only surpassed by the single spire of Ulm Minster, completed 10 years later in 1890. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.