Cologne's iconic cathedral in Germany will begin charging an entrance fee for visitors starting from the second half of this year. The cathedral chapter announced this decision during a press conference on Thursday.

The chapter explained that the fee is intended to cover the increasing costs of maintenance, security, and operation of the facility. The cathedral attracts approximately 6.6 million visitors annually but has experienced six consecutive years of losses since 2019.

Entrance will remain free for churchgoers, worshippers, and members of the Central Cathedral Building Association. The exact amount visitors will have to pay has not yet been disclosed, though Provost Guido Assmann noted that tourists make up about 99% of the cathedral's visitors.

Cathedral Administrator Clemens van de Ven stated, "We have reached a point where the reserves of Cologne Cathedral will be depleted in the foreseeable future." Construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1248 and was not finalized until 1880. It is one of the few buildings in Cologne that survived World War II and is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: www.dw.com