Like a long thin needle, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg sews the sky to the city. It is so high that standing in front of it, it is impossible to see the whole building. It took the craftsmen three hundred years to build this Gothic wonder that looks like a rocket ready to launch. But did those who built it from 1015 to 1439 know anything about rockets? No electricity, no machinery, no cranes, no 3D drawings, but Vosges limestone (a pink, delicate mineral that seems to be always lighted by the sun), generations of builders (grandfather, son, grandson) and, probably, some mystery in how the cathedral was built and how it survived all the wars and fires.

Fortunately, history has preserved the name of the main architect of the 13th century – Erwin von Steinbach. In the next century, his work was continued by his son Johannes. Johann Goethe called them geniuses equal to angels in his essay "On German Architecture".

Until 1874, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg was the tallest building in the world. Today, this 142-meter high church is the second tallest cathedral in France, only slightly inferior in height to Rouen Cathedral. The walls of the cathedral are covered with the Bible carved in stone. The most impressive detail of the interior is the central portal with openwork arches, depicting the Passion of the Christ, the Madonna and Child, and the 12 apostles. The cathedral is illuminated by subdued light coming in through stained glass windows. In addition, there are many candles as in other famous temples. That is a smart thing since every visitor who wants to see any cathedral part in detail needs to pay a coin to make it light for a few minutes. It is worth spending a couple of euros to examine the 16th-century astronomical clock, which has a utilitarian and philosophical meaning. Correctly showing time, day, month, year, zodiac sign, and the moon phase, the clock displays scenes of human life every 15 minutes: an infant, a young man, a mature man, and an old man revolve in front of viewers.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg houses three organs at once. It hosts concerts and is both a temple and a museum. Every July and August, when darkness falls, a light show starts on the walls of the cathedral, showing in detail the hidden treasures that can not be seen during the day.