I found this photo along with 19 others tucked inside a book that was sold for $1 at a library booksale, where people donated books for the sale. I'm sure the original owner didn't realize that these photos were left inside.
This photo was taken some time in 1945.
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ηickρ, jfolkmann, ♪Figlie Della Tempesta ♫, fjordaan, and 740 other people added this photo to their favorites.
KJones1975 (89 months ago | reply)
Interesting pictures... any idea what city that is? It looks like it might be London.
The Rocketeer (89 months ago | reply)
On the back of the photo it said "Cologne", which is in Germany.
BombDog (89 months ago | reply)
It is Cologne (or Kölne) - that's the cathedral. Great pic.
jurvetson (89 months ago | reply)
I visited it several years ago. It was spared the not-so-precise bombs, but at ground level, the stone walls are pock-marked with conical divots from bullets and shells.
smuda (88 months ago | reply)
Greetings from Cologne and thank you for the pictures.
The Rocketeer (88 months ago | reply)
Thanks for the comments. I was hoping not to offend anyone with this set. It is offered as historical reference only, no malice or judgement is meant with the presentation of this set.
Brave Heart (87 months ago | reply)
What a find, well at least you placed then in an area where they will be seen. The owners might have just tossed then in a drawer. I see the bridge has been blown or bombed out. I wonder how many years old it was?
smuda (87 months ago | reply)
Cologne was destroyed in WW2 by 89%
in a night we call "The night of the 1000 Bombers" at May 30th in 1942.
by the Royal Airforce.
I was born in this town at 1968 and live there still.
So, this is part of my history. In this year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of liberation from the Naziregim by Americantroups.
@Brave Heart,
I think the bridge was the "Hindenburgbridge". It wasn't build up after the war.
It was build in 1915.
I have load it up for you, it's an historical picture also.
www.directupload.net/images/050326/2Y87repA.j pg
:)
Thank you for sharing Rocketeer.
The Rocketeer (87 months ago | reply)
Thank you for your comments, Witwe. Also, thank you for the link to the bridge photo. It is very interesting.
smuda (87 months ago | reply)
Your welcome,
but I have to say, and I hope you understand that, for me the remakable item in this picture is the cathedral in this scene of destruction.
The start of construction was in 1248 and it took over 600 years to build it up (no joke).
Happy Eastergreetings from Cologne
and put your sound on, if you click the link below.
www.willkommeninkoeln.de/media/sound/dom.htm
;)
C-Monster (87 months ago | reply)
This is an incredible photograph. I was in Cologne in the 80s and it would have been difficult to imagine this scale of devastation.
Miss Plum (86 months ago | reply)
this is really amazing. i went all the way to the top of the cathedral in '94. sure looked a lot different at that time, than in this photo. it's incredible that it was spared!
Helena-Reet (85 months ago | reply)
Very great picture!!!!
Thanks for sharing! :))
1an (85 months ago | reply)
nice
yukoner (84 months ago | reply)
This photograph is very similar to a quite famous photograph of the same scene in Cologne taken from the air, as has this one. I would check the origin of your photograph as it may just be one and the same
The Rocketeer (84 months ago | reply)
If you happen to find a link to that photo, let me know, please. I'd like to compare them.
opyretta (84 months ago | reply)
WOW, I never knew that you found these historical photo's. How great it is to discover a large part of history. I hope that you would bring them next time you visit. I would love to learn more about them. Does Dad know about these photo's?
Seth Gaines (84 months ago | reply)
Funny that the only building of any possible military value, the railway station at bottom left, is mostly undamaged. I'm sure the bridge, which is just to the left of this picture, was destroyed.
jdraiders (83 months ago | reply)
Should be rolling through Cologne on R&R. I'll try to get an updated photo for you.
jurvetson (83 months ago | reply)
jdraiders: if you get a shot, the combo would be a good submission to flickrcaching.
Also, I think this is a near-tie for the tallest cathedral in the world, with Ulm being the tallest by 13 feet. (for 380 years prior, Estonia had set the medieval record.... =)
max.favilli (83 months ago | reply)
Great great great picture.
ToBNot2B (83 months ago | reply)
wow..
alexismex1 (82 months ago | reply)
Very great historical picture, quite at this time a very good precision bombing to not damaged the cathedral without the technology of laser beam, quite this photo show how history is made...to never forget the past...for the memory of many mens.
JordanKrueger (82 months ago | reply)
These are just amazing. Thank you for sharing with the world.
laura1834 (82 months ago | reply)
These are incredible - like the iconic photos sold in Koln as postcards. You perhaps ought to consult someone who knows - a historian or antique expert. It is possible you ought to insure them and museums might be interested in receiving copies.
gordonr (81 months ago | reply)
I saw the link on BoingBoing and having looked at the pics, forwarded the URL to my Dad. He sent me back six very similar pics which belonged to my grandfather. He was RAF ground crew and was taken over Germany in 1945 to see some of the sites. These pics may very well have been taken on the same day even. Here's another shot of the Cologne Cathedral in 1945.
mimbrava (78 months ago | reply)
Thanks for adding this to the Interestingness pool.
<danielle> (77 months ago | reply)
this is stunning!!
The Rocketeer (77 months ago | reply)
love_life_live_love, where did you hear about this photo? Suddenly, in the last 24 hours, it has received a lot of attention with people adding it as a favorite.
jurvetson (77 months ago | reply)
hmmm... I only see one new blog entry...
The Rocketeer (77 months ago | reply)
Thanks, Steve. I didn't think about looking at technorati.
Pepius (77 months ago | reply)
It's curious hoy the cathedral seems out of scale with the rest of the city. I've been to a completely restored, beautiful Cologne, and this is still the case..
Sad history, beautiful photo.
Thanks for sharing.
ocherdraco (77 months ago | reply)
The attention is coming from the photo being on the "Explore" page as the most interesting photo from a year ago today.
Trent Strohm (76 months ago | reply)
amazing find!
<danielle> (76 months ago | reply)
hi rocketeer! it was on the interestingness page - but may have been from last year? like a retrospective look back? i can't remember exactly. i just read the story behind the photo(s) - awesome.
schnitzeljagd (75 months ago | reply)
Nice shot, people forget to fast sometimes.
frischmilch (74 months ago | reply)
great! this would be wonderful for our new wiki about cologne.
you publicated this photo under the cc license. would it be possible for you that we link directly to this flickr site in our historical articles about cologne?
Dario Traveso (74 months ago | reply)
buena toma
add to www.flickr.com/groups/catedrales/
un saludo
Neanderthal_online (74 months ago | reply)
what a loss
PDR (74 months ago | reply)
And what a find. Great photo.
Ginger Sarah (74 months ago | reply)
What a lovely photo; I think the reason the cathedral was left standing during the bombing may be for the same reason that St. Paul's cathedral and Battersea power station in London were left by the bombers - large and easily recognisable buildings helped pilots to orientate themselves when flying over.
It really is an incredible cathedral - I climbed up it last year and nearly had a heart attack (well, not quite, but...:)). Apparently it was the tallest building in the world when they finished building the towers!
The Rocketeer (74 months ago | reply)
Ginger Sarah, thanks for sharing that! I think you're right about why they left it standing.
Blikcr (72 months ago | reply)
I wonder how many of the people who lived through that night, lost most of their hearing...
jonnie-reimer (72 months ago | reply)
Stunning photo. Thanks for sharing.
walterbruehn (71 months ago | reply)
Hi all,
thank you for sharing this photo and all the others.
Let my put one or another comment to it.
As far as I remember, the American troops sent immediately during the last days of and after WW ii aircrafts to film the aeria.
These films (partly in color) are still deposited in Washington and Cologne (in the WDR, the TV and radio station).
The directors of photography were professionals. Look at the pictures!
In these aircrafts also were "normal" photographer of several newspapers.
So let me presume: your photographs are made AFTER WW ii.
You don't see any smoke of bombing or burnings of phosphorus. These photos are all very sharp (is that the right word?), the aircrafts could fly very low, that means: no enemy reactions from the ground is mentioned. And it's daylight.
May the Britons bombed Cologne, but the US filmed the result.
What I want to say is: your Photos must be american, maybe takes from a journalist and /or Warphotographer.
And at last @ alexismax1 " for the memory of many men{s}." AND WOMEN. Some of my aunts died in these bombings.
Venus admiration not envy. [deleted] (71 months ago | reply)
Very sad... Cologne it is... but could be many cities ... an egsample of the disgusting things we do in war... in the name of what is "RIGHT" some of which are "WONG" on both sides... Londg live peace, negotiation, common sense and liberalism.... NO MORE EXTREMISTS... and no nore black and white agrguements... life is about the greys...
poseidiae (71 months ago | reply)
This set is very interesting!! Remember history.
Even former history of the cathedral is very interesting. They took more than 600 years to complete! Hard to imagine.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral
Thank you for sharing.
aroid (70 months ago | reply)
A view from the cathedral in 1953,
Alexander Yates (70 months ago | reply)
Congratulations! Did you know that this is the most interesting photo tagged with War? Please consider posting it to The Most Interesting **Blank** Picture
mmeiser2 (70 months ago | reply)
Wow. Spectacular find. I've seen this photo before. Don't know where at.
The churches were spared at least in part because they made such excellent landmarks for lining up bombing runs. Fascinating picture with a fascinating history.