St. Nikolai's Church
AKA: St.-Nikolai-Kirche
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Year Completed: 1847,* Constructed between 1846-1874
Height: 482 feet
Claim to fame: St. Nikolai was originally constructed starting in 1355, just after the Black Death swept through Hamburg. The Cathedral went through a number of additions and modifications over the centuries; work began on the current spire in 1846 after part of the roof collapsed in a fire a few years before. The frame of the current spire was put into place in 1847.
*Some purists will argue that Notre Dame held the height record until 1874 when the spire of St. Nikolai was finished. However, the frame that was installed was the height of the current spire and is still present inside the masonry that was added over the next 27 years. Depending on viewpoint, St. Nikolai held the record for either 30 years or just two.
Status: Whatever the case, when the spire was completed in 1874, its height of 482 beat Notre Dame’s by 10 feet, and took the title of world’s tallest structure. St. Nikolai would only hold the record for two years after its completion. St. Nikolai survived allied bombing in 1944, but was heavily damaged.
Rouen Cathedral
Location: Rouen, France
Year Completed: 1876
Height: 495 feet
Claim to fame: The original Cathedral and spire at Rouen date to 1220. The present spire, however, was completed only in 1876. The spire was the world’s tallest structure from 1876 to 1880.
Status: The cathedral was bombed in 1944, taking several direct hits that narrowly missed destroying key pillars. During a later restoration, a 23-foot gilded antenna was added to the top of the spire that increased the total height to 518 feet. (This addition is not integral to the structure, and is not usually counted as part of the Cathedral's height.)
Cologne Cathedral
AKA: Kolner Dom
Location: Cologne, Germany
Height: 516 feet
Claim to fame: The tallest structure in the world between 1880 and 1884, the spire of the Cologne Cathedral is notable for having the largest facade of any cathedral ever built. (See diagram below for size comparison of the largest churches in history)
The Cologne Cathedral was also the last cathedral to ever be the tallest structure in the world.