It was the world's tallest building, 632 years after work started: an exercise in persistence. Cologne Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece.

Cologne itself is a good place to tell the story of the 13th century's great disaster: the Black Death, and the social upheaval it brought, including the pogroms that swept through the Rhineland.

Willem Fromm of the History of Cologne podcast brings a local perspective to his home city, its magnificent cathedral and its 2000 years of history. And beer! And potato soup!

Sources:

Di Duca, Marc. Lonely Planet Germany Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time Orent, Wendy. Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most Dangerous Disease Ozment, Steven E. A  Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People Rick Steves Germany Photo by Nikolai Karaneschev