Germany as a prototype:Christian symbols disappear as Europeans discard them, but there is no vacuum. Islam takes their place.
Cologne Cathedral, known as the “German Rome”, is the landmark of the city and has been declared a World Heritage Site since 1996. It is one of the most visited places in Germany and one of the most important in Christianity (it was visited by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI). The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1248. On old black and white photos you can see how the towers of the cathedral protrude from the rubble of the historic center completely destroyed during the Second World War.
Now the city of Cologne is deleting the iconic cathedral from its new logo. “My 92-year-old mother is stunned, my 11-year-old son is crying and my friend in London doesn’t understand it,” writes sculptor and painter Cornel Wachter.
