The Zentral-Dombau-Verein zu Köln von 1842 (Central Cathedral Building Society of 1842; formerly "Central-"), abbreviated ZDV, is one of the oldest and once largest

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

's and civic associations of Germany, Europe, and indeed the world. It was founded to promote and finance the completion of

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...

, one of the most important

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

buildings and churches globally and a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, and continues to ensure the never-ending restoration and maintenance of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

History

Heine and the ''Winter's Tale''

The most famous reference to the ZDV is in

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

's satirical poem, '' Germany. A Winter's Tale'' (''Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen'', 1844) chapter IV. Heine sees the Cologne Cathedral as a monument to Catholicism and un-Germanness, Christian intolerance, and Cologne as a truly bad city, and calls the promoters, including the Prussians and their King, confused and counter-productive. Since he does so in superb and witty poetry - the Winter's Tale is generally acknowledged to be the high-point of lyrical satire in German -, the criticism has endured and is very striking. For Heine, the non-completion of the cathedral is the "monument to Germany's power and Protestant mission". :::::You poor fools from the Domverein, :::::You want, with weak hands, :::::Complete the interrupted work :::::And to complete the old fortress!

Organization

The ZDV is one of the very few associations that does not have to conform to the German ''Vereinsrecht'' (laws concerning NGO's), because it predates these laws. In fact, the ZDV is still governed according to the cabinet order of 8 December 1841 by the King of Prussia,

Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

, who also was its first patron. Today, the ZDV has over 10,000 members and a board of 40, of which 10 are replaced every 4 years. Membership is completely open, but it is still considered prestigious, especially in the Rhineland. Membership in the board is a good indicator that one belongs to the most wealthy and most respected insiders of Cologne, which is well known for its governance by a closed elite (''Kölscher Klüngel''). It is denoted by a small golden lapel pin showing the cathedral's facade and the letters ZDV.

Finances

Kolner Dom kurz vor der Fertigstellung 1880

The cost to complete the cathedral, between 1842 and 1880, which was not an effort by the Catholic Church but by Protestant Prussia and the Cologne, Rhineland, and German citizens, amounted to US$1 billion in today's currency. Of this, one-third was paid by the State of Prussia, and two-thirds by the ZDV. Another US$1 billion was paid to "unveil" the cathedral, i.e. to purchase the houses around it and make it possible to view it from all sides; of this amount, half was financed by the ZDV. Much of the Verein's income derived from a special lottery, the ''Dombaulotterie''. Today, the annual budget of the cathedral, which amounts to appr. US$3,5 million, is financed by half by the ZDV. The income comes from membership fees, donations, bequests, fines (German judges can order that fines in civil cases are paid to the ZDV), and especially a Federal lottery. Legally, the Cathedral belongs to itself, not to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

or the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

; not even to the Metropolitan Chapter, which administers it based on the legal fiction that it has been charged with this by the cathedral.

Prominent members

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a Germany, German statesman who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the fir ...

Wolfgang Drechsler Wolfgang Drechsler (born June 6, 1963 in Marburg, West Germany) is a Public Administration and Management, Innovation Policy and Political Philosophy scholar. He is Professor of Governance, and one of the founders and directors of the Technology ...

Josef Frings Josef Richard Frings (6 February 1887 – 17 December 1978), was a German Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cologne from 1942 to 1969. Considered a significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism, he was elevated to th ...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

Joseph Görres Johann Joseph Görres, since 1839 von Görres (25 January 1776 – 29 January 1848), was a German writer, philosopher, theologian, historian and journalist. Early life Görres was born in Koblenz. His father was moderately well off, and sent hi ...

Joachim Meisner Joachim Meisner (25 December 1933 – 5 July 2017) was a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the immediate past Archbishop of Cologne, serving from 1989 until his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis in 2014. He previously serve ...

* Manfred Melzer *

Willy Millowitsch Willy Millowitsch (, ; 8 January 1909 – 20 September 1999) was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the ''Volkstheater Millowitsch'' in Cologne. Early life Millowitsch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province. His parents were Peter ...

* Fritz Schramma

Bibliography

*''Kölner Domblatt'', yearbook of the ZDV; last issue is vol. 70, 2005 *Pilger, Kathrin (2004), ''Der Kölner Zentral-Dombau-Verein im 19. Jahrhundert. Zur Konstitutierung des Bürgertums durch formale Organisation'', Köln: SH-Verlag (''The Central Cathedral Building Association of Cologne in the 19th Century. The Constitution for the middle class through a formal organization.'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Zentral-Dombauverein zu Koln von 1842 Non-profit organisations based in North Rhine-Westphalia Religious organisations based in Germany Culture in Cologne Organizations established in 1842 Organisations based in Cologne 1842 establishments in Prussia