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Cologne Germany Travel Information
| Introduction | Culture
| Arts | Music | Theatre
| Short History | Tourist Attractions Things to Do and Places to Visit |
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| Cologne |
Between Kölsch and carnival - and with joie de vivre and flair into the bargain. Cologne: the cathedral spires tower over Germany's oldest city and its innumerable cultural and historical treasures, world-famous museums and active art scene. Whether street music on the Hohe Strasse or galas in the modern opera house, whether pavement painting on the cathedral concourse or old masters in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, whether the annual music festival along the inner ring road or carnival in the entire city - in Cologne all this becomes synthesized into a vivacious work of art - in a cosmopolitan metropolis boasting more than a million inhabitants which, despite its size, has never lost its neighbourly character. From venerable breweries offering unique Kölsch beer and typical Cologne delicacies to first-class restaurants - boasting well in excess of 3000 public houses, restaurants and breweries Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. Per head of population, no other city in the Federal Republic boasts so many public houses, and also so many top-class restaurants. The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet for a Kölsch, a chat or simply a laugh. Life in Cologne is uncomplicated and vivacious - the tolerance and cosmopolitanism of its inhabitants proverbial. |
| At the very heart of Europe A Central Location in the Largest Economic Region in Western Europe Cologne is the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, the largest German Federal State. Twenty million people live within one hour's drive from Cologne. The dynamic Rhine-Ruhr region is one of the central locations in Europe for industry, trade, the economy, science and research. Together with the adjacent Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg, it generates more than 40 per cent of the European Union's total gross domestic product. At the same time, the Federal State and its structures have undergone a transformation in recent decades. Where coal and steel once predominated, are now centres of growth sectors, specialising in multimedia, telecommunications, media and culture. |
| A European Interface Cologne has been one of the most important European traffic junctions for more than 2,000 years, once forming a key intersection of the major roads of the Roman Empire, and is located on the main historical mediaeval trade routes. • Today, 10 European motorways intersect with the motorway ring road around the city. Cologne main railway station is considered one of the most important railway junctions in Europe. |
| • There are more than 1,200 train arrivals
per day under the historical steel and glass canopy roof of Cologne's
main railway station. Modern high-speed trains already link Cologne with
London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Berlin at hourly intervals. The dense network of the Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) (Cologne City Transport) and the Verkehrsverbundes Rhein-Sieg (VRS) (Rhine-Sieg Transport Board) provide a public transport system of comfortable buses and trams within the city and the surrounding area. |
| • Two large international airports are
situated within the vicinity in the shape of the Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer
Airport (CGN) and Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is only 55 km away.
Planes fly from there to more than 200 international destinations. Moreover,
Cologne/Bonn Airport is the most important air cargo centre in Europe
with over 400,000 tons carried per year. • As a former Hanseatic city, Cologne is also a port with a long tradition. The six Cologne Rhine ports continue to number among the largest inland ports in Germany, trans-shipping between 7 and 8 million tons of cargo every year. |
| Culture |
Cologne stands on ground that is steeped in history. Numerous cultural monuments from the past 2000 years, such as the famous Roman Dionysus mosaic, the mediaeval Overstolzenhaus and the Gürzenich hall, or modern structures such as the opera house (1957) and the Media park (from 1989 onwards) are to be found at the foot of the cathedral. The characteristic elements in the history of the City of Cologne: commerce, transformation and transport, religion and veneration of the saints and modern art are combined within a highly confined area in the city centre, embodied by Cologne central railway station (1890 - 1894) and its restored glass and steel structure, the cathedral itself and the adjacent museums (Ludwig Museum, Römisch-Germanisches Museum). The Ludwig Museum is the most famous of the eight municipal and the many ecclesiastical and private museums in this cathedral city and provides an overview of major international works of 20th century art. The Römisch-Germanisches Museum gives an impressive account of the history of the Romans along the Rhine. With the Rautenstrauch-Jost Museum, the city also has the only ethnological museum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The very wide range of private museums ranges from impressive sacral art in the Diocesan Museum or the St. Peter art centre, the photographic collection of the SK Cultural Foundation with the pictures by the Cologne photographer August Sander and extends to the POPDOM museum for pop and design of the 60s'/70's and the German Sport and Olympics Museum. The private Imhoff-Stollwerck Museum of Chocolate located in the Rheinauhafen provides a sweet interlude and contains everything worth knowing and tasting about he history of chocolate. |
| Arts |
Since the sixties, Cologne has been the German art(trade) metropolis and is the place of residence of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Jürgen Klauke, Rune Mields or H.A. Schult, Bernhard Schultze and the "banana sprayer" Thomas Baumgärtl. More than 100 galleries present the entire spectrum of international art and the international art trade. Twice a year, the gallery owners issue an invitation to their "premiere days", on which new exhibitions are opened simultaneously in all the galleries and other art centres. It comes as no surprise that the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Publishers (BVDG) has its head office in Cologne. The auction trade is represented by such well-known names as the German market leader, Kunsthaus Lempertz or van Ham Kunstauktionen. This is joined by three large trade fairs, which regularly attract the visitors from across the world to the KölnMesse exhibition centre. The Art Cologne is the "mother" of all art exhibitions. It began in 1967 with 15,000 visitors and a turnover of 1 million DM. In the meantime, turnover and number of visitors have soared. The "Art", as it is known, is considered a barometer for international trends and is held regularly in early October. In the early spring, the West German Art Exhibition (WKM) and the kunstKöln art exhibition are always worth visiting. The WKM has developed over the years into the "flagship of German art and antiques exhibitions". Its traditional emphasis is on 19th century painting, in addition to a wide range of furniture and craftwork. The kunstKöln art exhibition is the most recent Cologne exhibition, with a conception that is unique to date. It combines presentation of high-quality, original printed graphics, artist books, photographic and sculptural publications, multiples and art brut. The museums complete the range of attractions for art enthusiasts. In addition to the Ludwig Museum or the Museum for Oriental Art, a large number of private collections exist, for example in the Diocesan Museum, the Cologne Käthe Kollwitz Museum or the St. Peter art centre. Also worth seeing is the sculpture park by the couple of collectors Eleonore and Michael Stoffels near Cologne Zoo. |
| Music |
 Cologne
is the city of live music and concerts, with music from all periods from
all over the world and in the most diverse stylistic schools and movements
performed here every day. Since it was opened, the Philharmonic Orchestra
auditorium has developed into an internationally famous concert hall.It not only offers classical music with the world's most famous orchestras, such as the Berlin or Munich Philharmonic orchestras or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but also hosts guest musicians such as Placido Domingo, Udo Lindenberg, Liza Minelli, Miles Davis or Ute Lempert. On the other side of the main railway station, the Musical Dome offers the epitome of light entertainment - e.g. the musical "Saturday Night Fever". International stars from the rock, pop and opera world are regular guests at the KölnArena, the largest show and music hall in Germany. Clubs and halls in all shapes and sizes, such as the Stadtgarten, Subway, E-Werk, Live-Music Hall or the Palladium have made their names in different musical styles and genres. The municipal opera house offers a wide repertoire including classical and romantic opera. Concerts are also held regularly in the numerous churches in Cologne. The highly varied Cologne musicians' milieu is one reason for the abundance of musical performances in the city. The numerous radio and television broadcasting stations provide musicians with a multitude of opportunities for music making, with a renowned place of training in the form of the Cologne College of Music. Famous names such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, John Cage or the Can group around Holger Szukay represent this tradition. A range of ancient music ensembles, such as Concerto Köln, Musica Antiqua Köln with the violinist Reinhard Goebel or Cantus Cölln have formed taking the music college as their starting point. They now enjoy international fame and have transformed Cologne into the centre for the performance of ancient music. This is paralleled by a lively rock scene, represented by groups such as BAP, die Bläck Föös or de Höhner, in addition to hip-hop and techno, of course, represented by labels such as Groove Attack. |
| Theatre |
The most famous Cologne theatre bears the name "Millowitsch" theatre. The folk theatre has been a Cologne institution since 1848 and Willy Millowitsch, who died in 1999, was considered and continues to be considered as the very personification of everything "Kölsch" or typical of Cologne. The city had already erected a monument to him during his lifetime and appointed him a freeman of the city. Willy was already on the stage as a child and subsequently took over the theatre from his father. He owes his popularity far beyond the limits of the city mainly to his television appearances. On the 27th October 1953, the NWDR radio station transmitted the first live broadcast ever made from a theatre with an audience. The "Etappenhase" (base wallah) with Willy Millowitsch in the leading role was a spectacular success and the subsequent television broadcasts left the streets empty as people sat riveted to their television sets. There have been more than 150 broadcasts of Millowitsch Theatre productions to date. After Willy died, his son Peter took over the theatre management. Even older than the "Millowitsch Theatre" incidentally is the Hänneschen Theatre. The puppet theatre, founded in 1802, entertains the audience mainly with humour and scripts in the local "Kölsch" dialect. Cologne now has a lively theatre and cabaret scene. In addition to "conventional" theatre performances in the "Der Keller" theatre, the "Theatre im Bauturm", the "Freie Kammerspiele" or the "Comedia", entertainment, cabaret and comedy are staged in the brash "Kaiserhof" of Wally Bockmayer, the "Senftöpfchen" or the "Atelier Theatre". Urban repertoire theatre is performed at the Cologne theatre, the Schlosserei and the Halle Kalk. |
| Short History |
Cologne is the oldest major city in Germany. The name Cologne stems from the Roman empress Agrippina. The wife of the Emperor Claudius was born on the banks of the Rhine and elevated her "Colonia" to the status of a city in the year 50 A.D. Today, traces of the Romans are still to be found at every turn in Cologne: the Dionysus mosaic in the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, sections of the Roman city wall and the Roman water system, which formerly brought fresh spring water to the Roman city from the Eifel region. The Roman road network is still reflected to this very day in the layout of the city streets. The Hohe Strasse, a busy shopping street between the cathedral (Dom) and Neumarkt square, can look back over a two-thousand-year history of economic and social life. |
| The Romans also brought Christianity to Cologne,
and owing to its importance, the city very soon became a seat of a bishopric.
In the year 785 Charlemagne founded the Archbishopric of Cologne and also
bestowed secular powers upon the church dignitaries: the Archbishop of
Cologne became one of the most powerful feudal lords in the Holy Roman
Empire. Since the 12th century, Cologne has been the fourth metropolis in addition to Jerusalem, Byzantium and Rome to bear the designation "Sancta" (holy) in the city name: "Holy Cologne, faithful daughter of the Roman church by the grace of God". In 1164, Rainald von Dassel, Imperial Chancellor and Archbishop of Cologne, brought the relics of the Three Kings to Cologne. A mighty cathedral, the "largest structure north of the Alps" was to be erected as a burial church in their honour. The foundation stone was laid on the 15th August 1248. However, the Dom was not completed until 1880, after building work had been discontinued in the mid-16th century. Twelve large Roman collegiate and monastery churches, in addition to the world famous Dom stand as a major architectural testimony to the "spiritual" influence of the times: Groß St. Martin, St. Maria Lyskirchen, St. Severin, St. Kunibert, St. Gereon, St. Pantaleon, St. Maria im Kapitol, St. Aposteln, St. Andreas, St. Ursula, St. Cäcilien and St. Georg. Since 1985 all the churches have been almost completely restored. To mark this achievement, the city celebrated "Roman Year". |
| The citizens of Cologne soon had had enough
of the secular powers of their spiritual lord. In 1288, they defeated
the archiepiscopal army in the battle of Worringen and drove the archbishop
as secular leader out of the city for good: he continued to reside in
and around Bonn. The archiepiscopal residences of Schloß Augustusburg
and Schloß Falkenlust erected in the 18th century near Brühl
are now part of the world's cultural heritage. In 1396, the Cologne guilds proclaimed their own constitution with a mayor and city council. Nevertheless, Cologne did not finally receive the status of a free city until 1475. At this point, Cologne had become one of the most densely populated and wealthiest cities in the German speaking area. It played a major role in the Hanseatic League and was an important exhibition centre at the time. The first municipal university in Europe was founded here as early as 1388. On his visit to Cologne in 1333, the Italian poet Francesco Petraca wrote enthusiastically: "What an impressive city, with such dignified men and graceful women". Extant remnants of this period include the Overstolzenhaus, an imposing Roman town house now the seat of the Cologne Media College, the gothic city hall and the Gürzenich hall. The period had its dark side: after a long series of pogroms, the Jews fled the city in 1423 to the right bank of the Rhine. In the 16th century, Protestants were persecuted and in the 17th century, many women in Cologne fell victim to witch-hunts. |
Tourist Attractions
| The Cathedral |
 Cologne
cathedral with its two spires 157 m. in height, has been the city's most
famous landmark for centuries and the most well-known architectural monument
in Germany.It took 632 years until construction of the largest German cathedral was completed. After the laying of the foundations in the year 1248 and making rapid progress initially, construction work gradually came to a standstill. It was only with 19th century romantic enthusiasm for the Middle Ages and the commitment of the Prussian Court that construction work resumed in 1842. In 1880, completion of the cathedral was celebrated as a national event. The relics of the Holy Epiphany found their last resting place in the cathedral. The Sarcophagus of Epiphany (dating from the 13th century) surpasses all comparable golden sarcophagi in Western Christendom, in terms of scale and magnificence. Other outstanding works of art are to be found in the cathedral treasure chamber. |
Things to Do and Place to Visit
Activities | Boat Tours | Siebengebirge | Bonn | Schloss Augustusburg/Schloss Falkenlust
Phantasialand | Altenberg Cathedral | Schloss Morsbroich
| Activities |
Cologne is a beautiful and diverse city, surrounded by equally attractive and varied countryside. Nestling between the foothills of the Eifel and the Bergisches Land, the narrow Middle Rhine valley and the Lower Rhine plain, Cologne is the ideal starting point for both short and prolonged excursions in one of the most breath-taking cultural landscapes in Germany. |
| Boat Tours |
The Cologne skyline and many of the famous sights in the surrounding area can also be discovered from the river. From early spring to autumn, the "white fleet" of the Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrtsgesellschaften plies to and fro on sight-seeing tours, round trips, day trips and several-day cruises. The attractions include a nostalgic cruise with the paddle steamer "Goethe" through the Middle Rhine valley and an excursion with the Rheinjet, which skims over the water at more than 70 km/hour. Romantic evening cruises are another favourite and are particularly atmospheric before Christmas and at New Year. |
| Siebengebirge |
The Siebengebirge area, forming the north end of the Rhineland low mountain range, is among some of the most beautiful scenery in Germany. Each of the seven mountains offers a splendid view over the Rhine valley between Koblenz and Cologne. The most famous elevation is the Drachenfels, which can be climbed comfortably by rack railway from Königswinter - or on the back of a donkey. Anyone who enjoys rambling can discover a highly varied natural park with many possibilities for stopovers in a 200 km long network of rambling routes. Romantic little Rhineland towns and wine-growing villages lie at the foot of the range. The area can be reached rapidly from Cologne by car or public transport. The ship journey up the Rhine takes somewhat longer. |
| Bonn |
The former capital of the Federal Republic still offers many attractions, even without the Parliament and the Federal Government, which have moved to Berlin. The classic highlights include the 18th century old town hall, the market square, the university and, of course, Beethoven's house, in which the famous composer was born. The main centre of attraction for visitors is undoubtedly the "Museum Mile", including the art and exhibition galleries of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bonn Museum of Art, the House of History of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Zoological Research Institute and the Alexander Koenig Museum. |
| Schloss Augustusburg/Schloss Falkenlust |
In addition to Konrad Schlaun, François de Cuvilliés and Baltasar Neumann were among the principal Baroque master architects involved in building Schloss Augustusburg in Brühl. The namesake and commissioner of the building was Elector Clemens August, Archbishop of Cologne. Cuvilliés also designed the small palace of Falkenlust, used by Clemens August as a hunting lodge, in the French style. Both palaces are connected by an avenue, which runs through the 100-acre palace grounds with its valuable stands of ancient trees. |
| Phantasialand |
The amusement park offers a wide selection of attractions, ranging from the old Berlin steam roundabout, including a wild-water course and extending to the Space-Center, which draw several million visitors every year to the southern gates of Cologne. Children in particular love the fantastic world with its many adventures. Phantasialand is open daily between the 1st April and the 31st October. |
| Altenberg Cathedral |
Altenberg cathedral stands in a wooded setting 20 kilometres to the north-east of Cologne. The cathedral is the church of the former Cistercian abbey of Altenberg (1133 - 803). In mediaeval times, Altenberg was a resting place for pilgrims on their way to the distant Santiago de Compostela. Today, good restaurants and cafés invite visitors to linger there. |
| Schloss Morsbroich |
The late Baroque moated castle of Morsbroich, with its beautiful setting in a park of the neighbouring town of Leverkusen, is one of the most interesting museums for contemporary art from the 50's to the present day. Particular emphasis is placed on the artistic trends of the Informal, the Zero Group, Kinetic Art, op-art and analytical painting. Also worthy of note is the graphic collection with representative groups of work by Georg Baselitz, Blinky Palermo, Gerhard Richter and others. |
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