„Where heaven and earth Meet“

Himmelsleiter (Jacob’s ladder) Cologne 2025/2026

Dear Visitors,

‘Where people forget themselves, leave the beaten track and start afresh, completely afresh, this is where heaven and earth meet, so that peace may reign among us, this is where heaven and earth meet, so that peace may reign among us.’ This line from a song by the well-known Cologne band RUHAMA has become the motto for a major joint project by DOMFORUM/Cologne Cathedral’s visitors‘ centre, Katholisches Bildungswerk Köln/Catholic Education Centre Cologne and Stadtdekanat Köln/City Deanery Cologne.

People can be a blessing to one another because cohesion and solidarity can become a sign of hope, an experience of heaven on earth. We want to make this the topic of our project. The Himmelsleiter by artist Billi Thanner, symbolising the connection between man and God, between earth and heaven, is the core of the project, which begins with the opening service of the Cathedral-Pilgrimage in 2025 and ends on Low Sunday (12 April 2026), marking the end of the Easter octave. Events in the foyer of the DOMFORUM and concerts on the balcony invite you to reflect, talk and listen. Experience moments when heaven and earth meet. We warmly welcome you!

Yours sincerely, Rainer Tüschenbönner (✝)

(former Director of DOMFORUM/ Cologne Cathedral’s visitors‘ centre and Kath. Bildungswerk Köln/Catholic Education Centre Cologne)

In many people's lives, there are places and people where heaven and earth meet, where they have found strength, comfort, help for life, guidance or simply something that is good for them, and which they may even have experienced as an encounter with God. In the Bible, in the Old Testament, this is described in the story of such a place, the story of ‘Jacob's dream of the ladder to heaven’ (Genesis 28:10-22).

These places do not necessarily have to be related to churches. For as the verse in Genesis 28:16 says, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ Time and again, guests at the DOMFORUM describe our house, its staff and its offers as a place where they can experience the presence of God or the touching of heaven and earth. But they also tell about other places. We want to take this up with our project and carry it right into the city, discovering many of these places with you.

Billi Thanner's highly acclaimed light installation ‘Himmelsleiter’, which was installed inside and outside St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna in 2021 and at St. Lambert's church in Münster in 2022, is intended to symbolise the connection between heaven and earth and remind us of God's proximity to mankind. During the 2024 Olympic Games, the Himmelsleiter was exhibited in the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris as part of the accompanying Cultural Olympiad. The installation draws on the biblical story of Jacob's ladder (Genesis 28:10-22) and artistically expresses the path to the future and to God.

As part of the project ‘Where heaven and earth meet’, the Himmelsleiter will be on display in Cologne – shining brightly on the façade of the DOMFORUM opposite Cologne Cathedral in the heart of the city. With the opening of the pilgrimage to the Magi/Three-Kings-Pilgrimage in 2025, Cologne's Himmelsleiter will be presented to the public for the first time and will shine as a symbol of hope until Easter 2026.

The perfect view of the Himmelsleiter

The best place to have this is from our Insta-Point, which you find on the base of the south steeple of the cathedral opposite the main entrance of the DOMFORUM. This is where you have the best view – ideal for photos and selfies as a souvenir of Billi Thanner's Cologne Himmelsleiter.

Himmelsleiter Balkon (c) Beatrice Tomasetti

Billi Thanner (born in 1972) lives and works in Vienna. She is one of the leading figures of a new generation of contemporary actionism. In addition to painting, her works also include room installations, sculptures, plastic interventions, action and performance. Through her art, Billi Thanner advocates for a world without prejudice. In her works, she reflects on the complexity of human thought and emphasises the need to break through all pigeonholing and prejudice. She strives to be present as an artist and global citizen in order to share her message of freedom from prejudice and freedom of art, as well as her dedication to shared humanity. We are delighted that her light installation ‘Himmelsleiter’ will now be on display from the opening of the Cathedral-Pilgrimage on 25 September 2025 until Easter 2026.

"For me, the Himmelsleiter symbolises humanity's longing for connection – between earth and heaven. It touches the earth for the first time in Cologne. With this, I want to show that heaven is not far away; it begins within us. Every step on this ladder is a step towards virtues such as trust, courage, humility, hope and love.

The Himmelsleiter invites us to be touched: by the power of community, by the possibility of a new beginning, by the peace that can grow within us.

My work is an invitation to pause, look up – and at the same time feel the ground beneath our feet more consciously."

- Billi Thanner. 4 September 2025

You can find out more about the artist here