Cologne Acts to Protect Cathedral Status

Local officials in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are set to reconsider redevelopment plans near the Cologne Cathedral that threatens the city landmark's designation as a World Heritage Site. The building plans foresee constructing numerous skyscrapers just opposite the cathedral. In early July, the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO put the Cologne Cathedral on the list of threatened World Heritage sites because the construction plans reportedly called into question the "integrity" of the 756-year-old gothic building.