"They don't build like this anymore."

@Michael Skorulski: Sometimes it's time to speak up. ;-)

@Evelyne Dubos: You take the words out of my mind. It's a shame to neglect this wonderful cathedral this way. My last visit to Paris was a true eye-opener!

@Ekaputra Tupamahu: Like it? ;-)

@Desparado: A must see if you're traveling to Germany :-)

@MaryB: I think that would be the dream of its medieval architects! :-)

@juant3: This is indeed a complex question: the cathedral fits many needs as it is a tourist attraction and a church as well. What annoys me the most is that wishy-washy attitude of the responsible institutions: they attach a scaffold here and there, polish some corners (like the tympanons above the entrants), install a new window (the 'Richter-Fenster', you probably know about this), but to do the obvious, and that means to clean the cathedral and to remove the biggest damages, seems to be impossible. I mean, this is cultural heritage, it's a precious treasure, it deserves love and respect. Why can't we be as smart as the French?

@Tracey: Cologne rocks! Personable people, lots of culture and history, a great botanical garden. In the Middle Ages this city was called the 'Star of the West' (maybe sounds strange in the ears of an American ;-) and even if its fame fades for centuries, there's still enough substance.

@Eleftheria!: Wait - there's more to come!

@Observing: ...very much like an old kodachrome slide.
Bingo! You really know the ropes, man! Amazing! Of course I did some processing here to enhance the bright corner. One of my favourite tools is DxO and its cool 'FilmPack' plugin. It's not a kodachrome filter but an emulated 'Fuji Provia 100F' film I used here. Congrats!
To clean - you're absolutely right! Of course it will cost a lot of money, but our government wastes a lot of money anyhow, so why not in the refurbishment of our cathedrals? That's a privilege not only the rebuilt Church of Our Lady in Dresden should have :-)

@Michael: Danke. Jeder putzt sein Auto, bloß die Kathedralen... nee, muß doch nicht sein... :-)

@drphoto: Then you might be interested in my little cathedral trivia as well :-)

@akarui: Thanks for your suggestions! Actually I didn't intend to make a balanced 'beauty shot' here; Cologne Cathedral is a well-known subject, not to say: it's been photographed to death, so I tried to emphasize just the important part for my story. This corner is always very crowded, so I virtually had no choice to avoid the people. That building in the background is Cologne central station, so you can imagine that bazillions of people are cruising there :-)

@JoeB: Depends. For visibly representative purposes there's always enough money, just have a look at recent building sites in the Gulf of Arabia or China. For companies usually a prestigious address in the letter-head will suffice, they aren't interested in aesthetics. Gothic cathedrals like this one were meant to be a reflection of the heavenly Jerusalem and they were prestigious for their builders as well. It seems that our culture prefers prestigious symbols (the address) than elaborate decor, that's sort of strange because our society is so sticking to vision.

@Jen: And huuuge! :-)

@Twelvebit: You were in the South, right? Next time you're here I'll show you the dirty ol' Germany ;-)

@Japanalia: Where there's a will there's a way :-) And the money... thinking about our government and the billions it wastes for much nonsense I wouldn't mind if they spent a few millions for the preservation of our monuments...