Cologne Cathedral was rebuilt in the 19th century, and on completion in 1880 its twin spires were 157 metres high. The Washington Monument, completed four years later, is 169 metres tall. It was superseded in 1889 – another five years on – by the Eiffel Tower: at 324 metres, almost twice as high.
Neither the Washington Monument nor the Eiffel Tower qualifies as a building, but Cologne Cathedral held on to its title as the world's tallest building only until 1889, when Ulm Minster was completed; it is 161.5 metres tall.
Tallest buildings / towers / structures are a minefield for the quizzer, and I can't help wondering if ours was the only team that, on being asked for a German cathedral that was once the world's tallest building, plumped for Ulm Cathedral instead of Cologne.
© Macclesfield Quiz League 2019