Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln


The Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln e. V. is a German association which financially and conceptually supports research, restoration and preservation of Romanesque churches in Cologne. It was founded in 1981 and also organises public relations, guided tours and lectures to improve public awareness of these churches. Günter Heidecke was one of its founders and also acted as its chairman until 2002.
In 2012 the Förderverein set up a foundation to continue funding the Förderverein's activities. Since 2013 the Förderverein has also been advocating for the Romanesque churches of Cologne to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, though such an application was first considered in 1980 by the city conservator Hiltrud Kier.

List of churches supported

12 major churches

The began with the twelve major Romanesque churches in the city:
13 smaller churches outside Cologne's medieval city wall were later added:
Added in 2005 were:
Two of these only had partially preserved Romanesque elements, now integrated into later buildings. Alt St. Pankratius in Köln-Worringen was considered but not added.