Countless stone-bound hybrids, demons, and other fantasy figures gaze down from great heights on the people below from the buttresses and walls of Cologne Cathedral. While the people huddle under their umbrellas seeking shelter from the rain, the gargoyles diligently perform their duty, spouting the large amounts of water that collect on the cathedral's roofs in high arcs down into the depths. Their task is to keep the destructive power of water away from the masonry and the delicate windows of the cathedral.

For several months, Cologne photographer Klaus Maximilian Gierden has intensively studied the gargoyles of Cologne Cathedral under various weather conditions, even climbing into remote corners to capture hard-to-reach figures. This has resulted in a comprehensive collection of brilliant black-and-white photographs. They are complemented by texts on the history of the gargoyles and their function, as well as brief information about each object. The viewer gets up close to the gargoyles for the first time, as the fantasy creatures come to life before their eyes.