In Cologne, there’s a local adage that roughly translates as “everything will be ok in the end”. But another way of putting it is “it’s all parts of life’s ups and downs” – just like the paternoster lift in Cologne’s WDR Funkhaus building!
They’ve all been in broadcaster WDR’s paternoster – actors, writers, artists – all guests in the lift’s own radio programme. And the paternoster has been transporting anyone brave enough to step inside since 1952 – another reason for its legendary status.
The lift doesn’t care whether the people it transports are rich or poor, famous or not. It simply takes whoever enters. Nothing ever fazes it. Over the decades, it’s seen stars rise, politicians fall and pandemics break out. Cologne author Heinrich Böll, a Nobel laureate in literature, even created a monument to it in a radio play. It’s fantastic the lift actually still works. And amazing that there isn’t a constant flow of people queuing to get that special kick!
The WDR paternoster at Funkhaus am Wallrafplatz gives us a daily dose of solace. It lifts us up and whisks us away. Paternoster yoga at 0.3 metres per second. Travelling at a snail’s pace, between the floors we find the peace we search for so vainly in the noise of the Funkhaus building or the city outside. And no need to worry, it’s safe to believe everything will be ok in the end because the signs in this Cologne institution of elevation bear the crucial message: “Last floor. No risk of injury if you carry on”.
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