


At 142 metres, it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874. It remained the tallest church in the world until 1880, when it was surpassed firstly by Cologne Cathedral and then the 161 metre Ulm Münster. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world.
Described by Victor Hugo as a "gigantic and delicate marvel", the cathedral is visible far across the plains of Alsace and can be seen from as far off as the Vosges mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine.