Describes how private initiative rescued the architecturally unique Romanesque parish churches of Cologne from near-total destruction. The beautifully illustrated article details the origins and distinctive architectural features of the various churches but also warns that their preservation is by no means assured as technology is still lacking to keep the brittle stone from disintegrating under the onslaught of nearby traffic, the accompanying pollution and especially, acid rain. Research on the part of the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology and the Institute for Construction Research of Rhenish, Westphalian Technical University in Aachen (Aix-La Chapelle) continues. -- AATA