During WWII, around 70 firebombs and 14 very powerful bombs were dropped on the cathedral. Fortunately, its size and recognized structure rescued it from total destruction by serving as a point of reference for pilots flying above the city. The choir and transept had already been rebuilt by 1948, but the west wing and façade took longer to recover. Fortunately, despite several attacks, the cathedral's basic design was saved, and it currently stands as a superb blend of Gothic architecture and the 19th-century Neo-Gothic revival.