Universiteit van Kanagawa doneert spuwer aan Dom van Keulen

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Kanagawa Univ. Donates Gargoyle to Cologne Cathedral in Germany
Culture World Sep 7, 2025 16:54 (JST)

Berlin, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)--Kanagawa University in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, has donated a gargoyle, a grotesque figure that projects from a building wall and functions as a gutter, to Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site in western Germany.

The donation came after students from the Japanese university left graffiti at the church in 2016. The university apologized for the incident and donated 1 million euros, which was used to create the gargoyle.

Last November, the new gargoyle was installed on the church's southern wall, about 20 meters from the ground. It replaced an old one created in the 19th century and damaged during World War II.

In a statement posted on its website, the cathedral expressed appreciation for the university's response, noting that the incident caused controversy in Japan, although such an incident is not rare in Germany.

The university's formal apology and donation have led to exchanges between both sides.