The Kölner Dom (English: Cologne Cathedral; officially Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus, English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Metropolitan Church of the ecclesiastical province of Cologne. The Cologne Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in the Gothic style with its two towers reaching a height of 157 meters each. Its construction began in the year 1248 and was not completed until 1880. Originally planned as a representative cathedral of the Archbishops of Cologne and a monumental reliquary for the bones of the Three Kings, the cathedral was considered a national symbol for Germany when it was completed in the 19th century. After the end of the Second World War, the apparently intact cathedral in the middle of the bombed-out city was understood as a miracle and an emotional symbol for the will to live. The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and is one of the most visited sights in Germany.