My roommate and I somehow ended up discussing how famous the Cologne Cathedral is around the world, with him claiming that a large part of the population of the Western world knows about this building, while I am pretty certain that although famous, only a tiny fraction of people know about the cathedral. My roommate continued the discussion by comparing the cathedral to other famous buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate and the Hagia Sophia.
Knowing the deep affection for polls that people on TL have, I decided to make a survey to see how well-known the aforementioned buildings are.
Poll: Have you ever heard of the Cologne Cathedral?
No! (87)
72%
Yes! (34)
28%
121 total votes
Your vote: Have you ever heard of the Cologne Cathedral?
Of these four, I'd say in America at least, the Eiffel Tower is the most known, followed by the Hagia Sophia, then the Brandenberg Gate, and lastly, the Cologne Cathedral.
EDIT: And only by those who had a decent education.
The Cologne Cathedral is far more impressive but less renowned than the Eiffel Tower, a prime specimen of gothic revivalist architecture. It was also the tallest structure in the world for four years after its completion in 1880; the Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889 and held the record until 1930.
I remember vividly my own impressions of having first seen the majesty of the Cathedral without the gradualism of approach. It's right there if you step out of the Köln train station and take a glance to your right, and suddenly there is a gargantuan spire dominating the view.
Should make this into a more of a history lesson and add some photos/description (maybe just a wiki link). Can't hurt to spread some culture to those who are unfamiliar with these international and historic landmarks.
WCS![[image loading]](http://www.frpaulnewton.com/Cologne_Cathedral.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.coellnerhof.de/upload/Koelner_Dom_bei_Nacht_1_RB.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.studag.com/bilder/brandenburgertor.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img.fotocommunity.com/Istanbul/Sehenswuerdigkeiten/Hagia-Sophia-Istanbul-a18563142.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.geo-reisecommunity.de/bild/regular/136452/Eifelturm.jpg)
