NEWS!

Cologne Cathedral, Germany's most visited landmark and a beacon of Gothic grandeur, is facing a fierce backlash after announcing plans to charge visitors €12 to €15 starting this July—a move critics warn will transform a house of God into a "pay-per-view" attraction that excludes the poor. While cathedral officials cite a €2 million annual budget shortfall and depleted reserves following COVID-19 closures, former restoration chief Barbara Schock-Werner has condemned the proposal as "socially unjust," arguing that charging more than €10 effectively bars ordinary people from experiencing a sacred space that...