From the point of view of the modern layman, Strasbourg Cathedral is asymmetrical (one tower is missing). For an architect, the building is a rare example of a mixture of styles: Romanesque (French) and Gothic (German). The 142-meter north tower of the temple until the beginning of 1890 provided the cathedral with the title of the tallest Christian building in Europe (until the cathedral was built in the German city of Ulm).
The temple was built by German and French architects. From here you can see the mixture of styles in the building. Each architect strove to stand out, to show his best skill. French masters, invited from Paris, Reims, Chartres, decorated the temple with the finest stone carvings. Each figure of the saint in the cathedral is a work of art. Experienced Germans, invited from Cologne, Freiburg and Ulm, made a round 15-meter rosette window, created colored stained-glass windows, designed towers, and built a pyramidal spire.
The Cathedral of Our Lady began to be built in 1015 from red Vosges sandstone, which gave the temple a pink hue. Bishop Warner von Habsburg and the German king were present at the laying of the first stone. The latter was the emperor of the Roman Empire (Henry II the Saint).
However, the solemn ceremony of laying in the presence of the highest clergy and state officials, the consecration of stones did not save the structure from the coming disasters. The partially erected cathedral in 1176 was practically destroyed by fire. I had to start all over again.
The main nave was built by the French. It was built until 1275. It is a typical example of French Gothic. The western façade is decorated with hundreds of sculptures.
German architects started to build two towers - north and south. The north rose with great difficulty. The reason for this is the lack of funds, the resistance of the French, the unstable political situation. Generations of architects and builders have changed. The tower was completed only in 1439. The construction of the southern tower could be started. And again the same problems arose - lack of funds, lack of German architects. In addition, the French king wanted to ensure independence from the Pope and, on his own, planned to complete one tower. This never happened, and the cathedral has remained unfinished in its splendor since 1439.
