Cologne was founded and established in GermanicUbii territory in the 1st century CE as the RomanColonia Agrippina, hence its name.[3]Agrippina was later dropped (except in Latin), andColonia became the name of the city in its own right, which developed into modern German asKöln.Cologne, the French version of the city's name, has become standard in English as well. Cologne functioned as the capital of the Roman province ofGermania Inferior and as the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until occupied by theFranks in 462. During theMiddle Ages the city flourished as being located on one of the most important majortrade routes between eastern and western Europe (including theBrabant Road,Via Regia and Publica). Cologne was afree imperial city of theHoly Roman Empire and one of the major members of the trade unionHanseatic League. It was one of the largest European cities in medieval and renaissance times.
Prior toWorld War II, the city had undergone occupations by the French (1794–1815) and the British (1918–1926), and was part ofPrussia beginning in 1815. Cologne was one of the mostheavily bombed cities in Germany during World War II.[4] The bombing reduced the population by 93% mainly due to evacuation, and destroyed around 80% of the millennia-old city center. The post-war rebuilding has resulted in a mixed cityscape, restoring most major historic landmarks like city gates and churches (31 of them beingRomanesque). The city nowadays consists of around 25% pre World War II buildings and boasts around 9,000 historic buildings.[5][6]
Fresco withDionysian scenes from a Roman villa of Cologne, Germany (site of the ancient city Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium), 3rd century CE,Romano-Germanic Museum
The first urban settlement on the grounds of modern-day Cologne wasOppidum Ubiorum, founded in 38 BCE by theUbii, aCisrhenianGermanic tribe. In 50 CE, the Romans foundedColonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine,[3][10] acolonia which was named after EmperorClaudius and his wife, who was born here,Agrippina the Younger. In 85 CE the city became the provincial capital ofGermania Inferior.[10] It was also known asAugusta Ubiorum.[11] Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near the wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007.[12] From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of theGallic Empire underPostumus,Marius, andVictorinus. In 310, under emperorConstantine I, a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centers in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.[3] Cologne is shown on the 4th centuryPeutinger Map.
Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313, was the first known bishop of Cologne. The city was the capital of a Roman province until it was occupied by theRipuarian Franks in 462. Parts of the original Roman sewers are preserved underneath the city, with thenew sewerage system having opened in 1890.
After the destruction of theSecond Temple in theSiege of Jerusalem and the associateddispersion (diaspora) of the Jews, there is evidence of a Jewish community in Cologne. In 321 CE, Emperor Constantine approved the settlement of a Jewish community with all the freedoms of Roman citizens. It is assumed that it was located near the Marspforte within the city wall. The Edict of Constantine to the Jews is the oldest documented evidence in Germany.[13][14]
Early medieval Cologne was part ofAustrasia within theFrankish Empire. Cunibert, made bishop of Cologne in 623, was an important advisor to the Merovingian King Dagobert I and served with domesticus Pepin of Landen as tutor to the king's son and heir Siegebert III, the future king of Austrasia. In 716,Charles Martel commanded an army for the first time and suffered the only defeat of his life whenChilperic II, King ofNeustria, invaded Austrasia and the city fell to him in theBattle of Cologne. Charles fled to theEifel mountains, rallied supporters and took the city back that same year after defeating Chilperic in theBattle of Amblève. Cologne had been the seat of a bishop since the Roman period; underCharlemagne, in 795, bishopHildebold was promoted toarchbishop.[3] In the 843Treaty of Verdun Cologne fell into the dominion ofLothair I'sMiddle Francia – later calledLotharingia (Lower Lorraine).
In 953, the archbishops of Cologne first gained noteworthy secular power when bishopBruno was appointed as duke by his brotherOtto I,King of Germany.[15] In order to weaken the secular nobility, who threatened his power, Otto endowed Bruno and his archiepiscopal successors with the prerogatives of secular princes, thus establishing theElectorate of Cologne, formed by the temporal possessions of the archbishopric and included in the end a strip of territory along the left Bank of the Rhine east ofJülich, as well as theDuchy of Westphalia on the other side of the Rhine, beyondBerg andMark. By the end of the 12th century, the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. Besides being prince elector, he wasArchchancellor of Italy as well, technically from 1238 and permanently from 1263 until 1803.
Following theBattle of Worringen in 1288, Cologne gained its independence from the archbishops and became aFree City. ArchbishopSigfried II von Westerburg was forced to reside inBonn.[16] The archbishop nevertheless preserved the right of capital punishment. Thus the municipal council (though in strict political opposition towards the archbishop) depended upon him in all matters concerning criminal justice. This included torture, the sentence for which was only allowed to be handed down by the episcopal judge known as the greve. This legal situation lasted until the French conquest of Cologne.[citation needed]
Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's archbishop,Rainald of Dassel, gave the relics of theThree Wise Men to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they had been taken fromMilan). Besides the three magi Cologne preserves the relics ofSaint Ursula andAlbertus Magnus.[17]
Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the majortrade routes between east and west as well as the main south–north Western Europe trade route, Venice to Netherlands; even by the mid-10th century, merchants in the town were already known for their prosperity and luxurious standard of living due to the availability of trade opportunities.[15] The intersection of these trade routes was the basis of Cologne's growth. By the end of the 12th century, ArchbishopPhillip von Heinsberg enclosed the entire city withwalls.[15] By 1300 the city population was 50,000–55,000.[18] Cologne was a member of theHanseatic League in 1475, whenFrederick III confirmed the city's imperial immediacy.[3] Cologne was so influential in regional commerce that its systems of weights and measurements (e.g. theCologne mark) were used throughout Europe.[15]
Panorama of Cologne in 1531Attack onDeutz by theSwedish army during theThirty Years' War in 1632Reconstruction of Cologne in the 17th century (German, English subtitles available)
The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterised by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women.
As afree imperial city, Cologne was a self-ruling state within theHoly Roman Empire, animperial estate with seat and vote at theImperial Diet, and as such had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defense of the Empire and maintain its own military force. As they wore a red uniform, these troops were known as theRote Funken (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent"). They fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France in which the small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, theRote Funken.[19]
The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with theElectorate of Cologne, which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the majority of archbishops were drawn from the BavarianWittelsbach dynasty. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence inBonn and later inBrühl on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status aselectors, the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire.
Cologne lost its status as afree city during the French period. According to theTreaty of Lunéville (1801) all the territories of theHoly Roman Empire on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into theFrench Republic (which had already occupied Cologne in 1794). Thus this region later became part ofNapoleon's Empire. Cologne was part of the FrenchDépartementRoer (named after the river Roer, German:Rur) withAachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernised public life, for example by introducing theNapoleonic code and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic code remained in use on the left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (theBürgerliches Gesetzbuch) was introduced in theGerman Empire. In 1815 at theCongress of Vienna, Cologne was made part of theKingdom of Prussia, first in theProvince of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and then theRhine Province.
The permanent tensions between the CatholicRhineland and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in the focus of the conflict. In 1837 the archbishop of Cologne,Clemens August von Droste-Vischering, was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Catholics and Protestants (Mischehenstreit). In 1874, during theKulturkampf, ArchbishopPaul Melchers was imprisoned before taking asylum in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to a deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne,Konrad Adenauer, became the first West German chancellor.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialisation changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing was especially successful, though the heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in theRuhr area. Thecathedral, started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly foundedGerman empire and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at the expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by contemporary buildings.
Cologne was designated as one of theFortresses of the German Confederation.[20] It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses ofVerdun andLiège) with two fortified belts surrounding the city, the remains of which can be seen to this day.[21] The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers, and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very densely built-up area within the city itself.
DuringWorld War I Cologne was the target of several minor air raids but suffered no significant damage. Cologne was occupied by theBritish Army of the Rhine until 1926, under the terms of the Armistice and the subsequentVersailles Peace Treaty.[22] In contrast with the harsh behaviour of the French occupation troops in Germany, the British forces were more lenient to the local population.Konrad Adenauer, the mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and later a West German chancellor, acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially since Britain had opposed French demands for a permanent Allied occupation of the entire Rhineland.
As part of the demilitarisation of theRhineland, the city's fortifications had to be dismantled. This was an opportunity to create two green belts (Grüngürtel) around the city by converting the fortifications and their fields of fire into large public parks. This was not completed until 1933. In 1919 theUniversity of Cologne, closed by the French in 1798, was reopened. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of theUniversity of Strasbourg on the west bank of the Rhine, which reverted to France with the rest ofAlsace. Cologne prospered during theWeimar Republic (1919–33), and progress was made especially in public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and were copied by other German cities. Cologne competed to host the Olympics, and a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, the prohibition of civil aviation was lifted andCologne Butzweilerhof Airport soon became a hub for national and international air traffic, second in Germany only toBerlin Tempelhof Airport.
The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to theNazi Party and other extreme-right parties. The Nazis then arrested theCommunist andSocial Democrats members of the city assembly, and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed. Compared to some other major cities, however, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne. (Significantly, the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party inReichstag elections had always been the national average.)[23][24] By 1939, the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants.[25]
During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters (Militärbereichshauptkommandoquartier) forWehrkreis VI (headquartered atMünster). Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations inBonn,Siegburg,Aachen,Jülich,Düren, andMonschau. Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment.
The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on the city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built up area. During theBombing of Cologne in World War II, Cologne endured 262 air raids[26] by the WesternAllies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by theRoyal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary.[27] This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres (243 ha) of built-up area (61%),[28] killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. The devastation was recorded byHermann Claasen from 1942 until the end of the war, and presented in his exhibition and book of 1947Singing in the furnace. Cologne – Remains of an old city.[29]
Cologne was taken by the AmericanFirst Army in early March 1945 during theInvasion of Germany after abattle.[30][31] By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. By the end of 1945, however, the population had already recovered to approximately 450,000.[32] By the end of the war, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis.[33] The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. Thesynagogue on Roonstraße was rebuilt in 1959.[34]
Despite Cologne's status as the largest city in the region, nearbyDüsseldorf was chosen as the political capital of thefederated state ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia. WithBonn being chosen as the provisional federal capital (provisorische Bundeshauptstadt) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (then informallyWest Germany), Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between two important political centres. The city became–and still is–home to a number of federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990, Berlin was made the capital of Germany.
In 1945 architect and urban plannerRudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble". Schwarz designed the master plan for reconstruction in 1947, which included the construction of several new thoroughfares through the city centre, especially theNord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after the war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already, to a certain degree, evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier when most of the city centre was in ruins.
The destruction of 95% of the city centre, including the famousTwelve Romanesque churches such asSt. Gereon,Great St. Martin,St. Maria im Kapitol and several other monuments in World War II, meant a tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks such as the Gürzenich event hall was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church ofSt. Kunibert was finished.
In 1959, the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1 million for about one year from 1975. It remained just below that until mid-2010, when it exceeded 1 million again.
Soviet letter's envelope in honor of the Internationale Philatelic ExhibitionLUPOSTA in Cologne in 1983
In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. The first was the growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strong visual focal point in Cologne's city centre and includes theKölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. The second was the permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which made Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe.
Due to the economic success of theCologne Trade Fair, the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s, were rented out toRTL, Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters.
The metropolitan area encompasses over 405 square kilometres (156 square miles), extending around a central point that lies at 50° 56' 33 latitude and 6° 57' 32 longitude. The city's highest point is 118 m (387 ft)above sea level (theMonte Troodelöh) and its lowest point is 37.5 m (123 ft) above sea level (theWorringer Bruch).[37] The city of Cologne lies within the larger area of theCologne Lowland, a cone-shaped area of the centralRhineland that lies betweenBonn,Aachen andDüsseldorf.
Located in theRhine-Ruhr area, Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. It has atemperate–oceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb) with cool winters and warm summers. It is also one of the cloudiest cities in Germany, with just 1,567.5 hours of sun a year. Its average annual temperature is 10.7 °C (51 °F): 15.4 °C (60 °F) during the day and 6.1 °C (43 °F) at night. In January, the mean temperature is 3.0 °C (37 °F), while the mean temperature in July is 19.0 °C (66 °F). The record high temperature of 40.3 °C (105 °F) happened on 25 July 2019 during theJuly 2019 European heat wave in which Cologne saw three consecutive days over 38.0 °C (100 °F). Especially the inner urban neighbourhoods experience a greater number of hot days, as well as significantly higher temperatures during nighttime compared to the surrounding area (including the airport, where temperatures are classified).[39] Still temperatures can vary noticeably over the course of a month with warmer and colder weather. Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year with a light peak in summer due to showers and thunderstorms.
Climate data for Cologne (Cologne Bonn Airport, 1991–2020, extremes 1957–present)
Cologne is regularly affected by flooding from the Rhine and is considered the most flood-prone European city.[43] A city agency (Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln,[44] "Cologne Urban Drainage Operations") manages an extensive flood control system which includes both permanent and mobileflood walls, protection from rising waters for buildings close to the river banks, monitoring and forecasting systems, pumping stations and programmes to create or protectfloodplains, and river embankments.[43][45] The system was redesigned after a 1993 flood, which resulted in heavy damage.[43]
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.
In the Roman Empire, the city was large and rich with a population of 40,000 in 100–200 AD.[47] The city was home to around 20,000 people in 1000 AD, growing to 50,000 in 1200 AD. TheRhineland metropolis still had 50,000 residents in 1300 AD.[48][49]
Cologne is the fourth-largest city by population in Germany afterBerlin, Hamburg andMunich. As of 31 December 2021, there were 1,079,301 people registered as living in Cologne in an area of 404.99 km2 (156.37 sq mi), which makes Cologne the third largest city by area.[50] The population density was 2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi).[51] Cologne first reached the population of 1,000,000 in 1975 due to the incorporation ofWesseling, however this was reversed after public opposition. In 2009 Cologne's population again reached 1,000,000 and it became one of the four cities in Germany with a population exceeding 1 Million. The metropolitan area of theCologne Bonn Region is home to 3,573,500 living on 4,415/km2 (11,430/sq mi).[52] It is part of the polycentric megacity regionRhine-Ruhr with a population of over 11,000,000 people.
There were 551,528 women and 527,773 men in Cologne. In 2021, there were 11,127 births in Cologne; 5,844 marriages and 1,808 divorces, and 10,536 deaths. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.3% under the age of 18, and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. 203 people in Cologne were over the age of 100.[51]
According to the Statistical Office of the City of Cologne, the number of people with a migrant background is at 40.5% (436,660). 2,254 people acquired German citizenship in 2021.[51] In 2021, there were 559,854 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18; 51% of all households were made up of singles. 8% of all households were single-parent households. The average household size was 1.88.[51]
Cologne is home to 90,000 people of Turkish origin and is the second largest German city with Turkish population afterBerlin. Cologne has a Little Istanbul in Keupstraße that has many Turkish restaurants and markets. Famous Turkish-German people like rapperEko Fresh and TV presenterNazan Eckes were born in Cologne.
Colognian orKölsch (Colognian pronunciation:[kœɫːʃ]) (nativelyKölsch Platt) is a small set of very closely related dialects, or variants, of theRipuarianCentral German group of languages. These dialects are spoken in the area covered by the Archdiocese and formerElectorate of Cologne reaching fromNeuss in the north to just south ofBonn, west toDüren and east toOlpe in the North-West of Germany. Kölsch is one of the very few city dialects in Germany, which also include thedialect spoken inBerlin, for example.
As of 2015, 35.5% of the population belonged to theCatholic Church, the largest religious body, and 15.5% to theProtestant Church.[53]Irenaeus of Lyons claimed that Christianity was brought to Cologne by Roman soldiers and traders at an unknown early date. It is known that in the early second century it was a bishop's seat. The first historical Bishop of Cologne wasSaint Maternus.[54]Thomas Aquinas studied in Cologne in 1244 underAlbertus Magnus. Cologne is the seat of theArchdiocese of Cologne.
According to the 2011 census, 2.1% of the population wasEastern Orthodox, 0.5% belonged of anEvangelical Free Church and 4.2% belonged to further religious communities officially recognized by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (such asJehovah's Witnesses).[55][56]
Cologne also has one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in Germany.[58] In 2011, 0.3% of Cologne's population was Jewish.[55]
On 11 October 2021, the Mayor of Cologne,Henriette Reker, announced that all of Cologne's 35 mosques would be allowed to broadcast theAdhan (prayer call) for up to five minutes on Fridays between noon and 3 p.m. She commented that the move "shows that diversity is appreciated and loved in Cologne".[59]
The long tradition of a free imperial city, which long dominated an exclusively Catholic population and the age-old conflict between the church and the bourgeoisie (and within it between the patricians and craftsmen) have created its own political climate in Cologne. Various interest groups often form networks beyond party boundaries. The resulting web of relationships, with political, economic, and cultural links with each other in a system of mutual favours, obligations and dependencies, is called the 'Cologne coterie'. This has often led to an unusual proportional distribution in the city government and degenerated at times into corruption: in 1999, a "waste scandal" over kickbacks and illegal campaign contributions came to light, which led not only to the imprisonment of the entrepreneur Hellmut Trienekens, but also to the downfall of almost the entire leadership of the ruling Social Democrats.
Results of the second round of the 2020 mayoral election
The incumbentLord Mayor of Cologne isHenriette Reker. She received 52.66% of the vote at the municipal election on 17 October 2015, running as anindependent with the support of theCDU,FDP, andGreens. She took office on 15 December 2015.[60] Reker was re-elected to a second term in a runoff election on 27 September 2020, in which she received 59.27% of the vote.[61]
The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:
The Cologne city council (Kölner Stadtrat) governs the city alongside the Mayor. It serves a term of five years.[62] The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:
In theBundestag, Cologne is divided among four constituencies. In the20th Bundestag, elected26 September 2021, the composition and representation of each was as follows:
The inner city of Cologne was largely destroyed during World War II. The reconstruction of the city followed the style of the 1950s, while respecting the old layout and naming of the streets. Thus, the city centre today is characterized bymodern architecture, with a few interspersed pre-war buildings which werereconstructed due to their historical importance. Some buildings of the "Wiederaufbauzeit" (era of reconstruction), for example, the opera house byWilhelm Riphahn, are nowadays regarded as classics of modern architecture.[citation needed] Nevertheless, the uncompromising style of theCologne Opera house and other modern buildings has remained controversial.[citation needed]
The districts outside the city center consist mostly of 19th and 20th century buildings.[5] Around 25% of Cologne was built before 1945.[5]
Green areas account for over a quarter of Cologne, which is approximately 75 m2 (807.29 sq ft) of public green space for every inhabitant.[63]
The dominant wildlife of Cologne is insects, small rodents, and several species of birds. Pigeons are the most often seen animals in Cologne, although the number of birds is augmented each year by a growing population offeral exotics, most visibly parrots such as therose-ringed parakeet. The sheltered climate in southeastNorthrhine-Westphalia allows these birds to survive through the winter, and in some cases, they are displacing native species. The plumage of Cologne's green parrots is highly visible even from a distance, and contrasts starkly with the otherwise muted colours of the cityscape.[64]
Hedgehogs, rabbits and squirrels are common in parks and the greener parts of town. In the outer suburbs foxes and wild boar can be seen, even during the day.
Cologne Cathedral (German:Kölner Dom) is the city's most famous monument and the Cologne residents' most loved landmark. It is aGothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. In 1996, it was designated aWorld Heritage Site; it houses theShrine of the Three Kings, which supposedly contains therelics of theThree Magi (see also[66]). Residents of Cologne sometimes refer to the cathedral as "the eternal construction site" (die ewige Baustelle).
Twelve Romanesque churches: These buildings are outstanding examples of early medieval church architecture. The origins of some of these churches go back as far asRoman times, for exampleSt. Gereon, which was originally a huge mausoleum in a Roman graveyard, orSt. Maria im Kapitol, built on the substructure of a Roman temple.Great St. Martin Church stands on the site of Roman warehouses and previously a sports field with a swimming pool, the walls of which can be seen in the basement of the church. With the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen all of these churches were very badly damaged during World War II. Reconstructions of the last ones were only finished in the 1990s.
The Cologne City Hall (Kölner Rathaus), founded in the 12th century, is the oldestcity hall in Germany still in use.[67] The Renaissance-style loggia and tower were added in the 15th century. Other famous buildings include the Gürzenich, Haus Saaleck and the Overstolzenhaus.
A plan published in 1800 shows the medieval city wall still intact, locating 16 gates (Nr. 36–51 in the legend), e.g., 47: Eigelsteintor, 43: Hahnentor, 39: Severinstor.
Of the twelve medievalcity gates that once existed, only the Eigelsteintorburg at Ebertplatz, the Hahnentor at Rudolfplatz and the Severinstorburg at Chlodwigplatz still stand today.
TheCologne Ring boulevards (such asHohenzollernring,Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring,Hansaring) with their medieval city gates (such asHahnentorburg onRudolfplatz) are also known for their night life.
Hohe Straße (literally:High Street) is one of the main shopping areas and extends past the cathedral in an approximately southerly direction. The street contains many gift shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants and electronic goods dealers.
Schildergasse – connectsNeumarkt square at its western end to theHohe Strasse shopping street at its eastern end and has been named the busiest shopping street in Europe with 13,000 people passing through every hour, according to a 2008 study byGfK.
Ehrenstraße – the shopping area aroundApostelnstrasse,Ehrenstrasse, andRudolfplatz is a little more on the quirky and stylish side.
Cologne's tallest structure is theColonius telecommunication tower at 266 m or 873 ft. The observation deck has been closed since 1992. A selection of the tallest buildings in Cologne is listed below. Other tall structures include the Hansahochhaus (designed by architect Jacob Koerfer and completed in 1925 – it was at one time Europe's tallest office building), the Kranhaus buildings atRheinauhafen, and theMesseturm Köln ("trade fair tower").
(literally:Cologne Tower), Cologne's second tallest building at 165.48 metres (542.91 ft) in height, second only to the Colonius telecommunication tower. The 30th floor of the building has a restaurant and a terrace with 360° views of the city.
Cologne has more than 60 music venues and the third-highest density of music venues of Germany's four largest cities, after Munich and Hamburg and ahead of Berlin.[69][70]
Several orchestras are active in the city, among them theGürzenich Orchestra, which is also the orchestra of theCologne Opera and theWDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German State Radio Orchestra), both based at the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra Building (Kölner Philharmonie).[71] Other orchestras are theMusica Antiqua Köln, theWDR Rundfunkorchester Köln andWDR Big Band, and several choirs, including theWDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Cologne was also an important hotbed for electronic music in the 1950s (Studio für elektronische Musik,Karlheinz Stockhausen) and again from the 1990s onward. The public radio and TV stationWDR was involved in promoting musical movements such asKrautrock in the 1970s; the influentialCan was formed there in 1968. There are several centres of nightlife, among them theKwartier Latäng (the student quarter around the Zülpicher Straße) and the nightclub-studded areas aroundHohenzollernring, Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz.
The city also has the most pubs per capita in Germany.[72] Cologne is well known for its beer, calledKölsch.Kölsch is also the name of the local dialect. This has led to the common joke of Kölsch being the only language one can drink.
Cologne is also famous forEau de Cologne (German:Kölnisch Wasser; lit: "Water of Cologne"), a perfume created by Italian expatriateJohann Maria Farina at the beginning of the 18th century. During the 18th century, this perfume became increasingly popular, was exported all over Europe by the Farina family andFarina became a household name forEau de Cologne. In 1803 Wilhelm Mülhens entered into a contract with an unrelated person from Italy named Carlo Francesco Farina who granted him the right to use his family name and Mühlens opened a small factory at Cologne's Glockengasse. In later years, and after various court battles, his grandsonFerdinand Mülhens was forced to abandon the nameFarina for the company and their product. He decided to use the house number given to the factory at Glockengasse during the French occupation in the early 19th century,4711. Today, original Eau de Cologne is still produced in Cologne by both theFarina family, in the eighth generation, and byMäurer & Wirtz who bought the 4711 brand in 2006.
TheCologne carnival is one of the largest street festivals in Europe. In Cologne, the carnival season officially starts on 11 November at 11 minutes past 11 a.m. with the proclamation of the new Carnival Season, and continues untilAsh Wednesday. However, the so-called "Tolle Tage" (crazy days) do not start untilWeiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival) or, in dialect,Wieverfastelovend, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the street carnival. Zülpicher Strasse and its surroundings, Neumarkt square, Heumarkt and all bars and pubs in the city are crowded with people in costumes dancing and drinking in the streets. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Cologne during this time. Generally, around a million people celebrate in the streets on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.[73]
Cologne andDüsseldorf have a "fierce regional rivalry",[74] which includescarnival parades,ice hockey,football, and beer.[74] People in Cologne preferKölsch while people in Düsseldorf preferAltbier ("Alt").[74] Waiters and patrons will "scorn" and make a "mockery" of people who order Alt beer in Cologne or Kölsch in Düsseldorf.[74] The rivalry has been described as a "love–hate relationship".[74] The Köln Guild of Brewers was established in 1396. The Kölsch beer style first appeared in the 1800s and in 1986 the breweries established an appellation under which only breweries in the city are allowed to use the term Kölsch.[75]
The Museum Ludwig houses one of the most important collections ofmodern art.Romanexcavation in Cologne:Dionysus Mosaic on display at Römisch-Germanisches Museum
Cathedral Treasury "Domschatzkammer" – historic underground vaults of the Cathedral
EL-DE Haus – former local headquarters of theGestapo houses a museum documentingNazi rule in Cologne with a special focus on the persecution of political dissenters and minorities
German Sports and Olympic Museum – exhibitions about sports from antiquity until the present
Geomuseum of the University of Cologne – the exhibition includes fossils (such as dinosaur bones and the skeleton of anEryops),stones andminerals
Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art – collections of Internet-based art, corporate part of (NewMediaArtProjectNetwork):cologne, the experimental platform for art and New Media
As the largest city in theRhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, Cologne benefits from a largemarket structure.[77] In competition withDüsseldorf, the economy of Cologne is primarily based on insurance andmedia industries,[78] while the city is also an important cultural and research centre and home to a number ofcorporate headquarters.
The German flag carrierLufthansa and its subsidiaryLufthansa CityLine have their main corporate headquarters in Cologne.[79] The largest employer in Cologne isFord Europe, which has its European headquarters and a factory inNiehl (Ford-Werke GmbH).[80]Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG),Toyota's official motorsports team, responsible for Toyota rally cars, and thenFormula One cars, has its headquarters and workshops in Cologne. Other large companies based in Cologne include theREWE Group,TÜV Rheinland,Deutz AG and a number ofKölsch breweries. The largest three Kölsch breweries of Cologne are Reissdorf, Gaffel, and Früh.
Historically, Cologne has always been an important trade city, with land, air, and sea connections.[7] The city has five Rhine ports,[7] the second largestinland port in Germany and one of the largest in Europe.Cologne Bonn Airport is the second largest freight terminal in Germany.[7] Today, theCologne trade fair (Koelnmesse) ranks as a major European trade fair location with over 50 trade fairs[7] and other large cultural and sports events. In 2008 Cologne had 4.31 million overnight stays booked and 2.38 million arrivals.[38] Cologne's largest daily newspaper is theKölner Stadt-Anzeiger.
Cologne shows a significant increase instartup companies, especially when considering digital business.[81]
Cologne has also become the first German city with a population of more than a million people to declare climate emergency.[82]
Road building had been a major issue in the 1920s under the leadership of mayorKonrad Adenauer. The first German limited-access road was constructed after 1929 between Cologne andBonn. Today, this is theBundesautobahn 555. In 1965, Cologne became the first German city to be fully encircled by a motorway ring road. Roughly at the same time, a city centre bypass (Stadtautobahn) was planned, but only partially put into effect, due to opposition by environmental groups. The completed section becameBundesstraße ("Federal Road") B 55a, which begins at theZoobrücke ("Zoo Bridge") and meets withA 4 andA 3 at the interchange Cologne East. Nevertheless, it is referred to asStadtautobahn by most locals. In contrast to this, theNord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive") was actually completed, a new four/six-lane city centre through-route, which had already been anticipated by planners such asFritz Schumacher in the 1920s. The last section south ofEbertplatz was completed in 1972.
In 2005, the first stretch of an eight-lane motorway inNorth Rhine-Westphalia was opened to traffic onBundesautobahn 3, part of the eastern section of theCologne Beltway between the interchanges Cologne East and Heumar.
Compared to other German cities, Cologne has a traffic layout that is not verybicycle-friendly. It has repeatedly ranked among the worst in an independent evaluation[83] conducted by theAllgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club. In 2014, it ranked 36th out of 39 German cities with a population greater than 200,000.
TheCologne Stadtbahn operated byKölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB)[85] is anextensivelight rail system that is partially underground and serves Cologne and a number of neighbouring cities. It evolved from the tram system. NearbyBonn is linked by both the Stadtbahn and main line railway trains, with occasional recreational boats on the Rhine.Düsseldorf is also linked byS-Bahn trains, which are operated byDeutsche Bahn.
TheRhine-Ruhr S-Bahn has 5 lines which cross Cologne. The S13/S19 runs 24/7 between Cologne Hbf and Cologne/Bonn airport.
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (Ports and Goods traffic Cologne, HGK) is one of the largest operators ofinland ports in Germany.[86] Ports include Köln-Deutz, Köln-Godorf and Köln-Niehl I and II.
Cologne's international airport isCologne/Bonn Airport (CGN). It is also calledKonrad Adenauer Airport after Germany's first post-war ChancellorKonrad Adenauer, who was born in the city and wasmayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933. The airport is shared with the neighbouring city ofBonn. Cologne is headquarters to theEuropean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The Cologne Institute for Religious Art (Kölner Institut für religiöse Kunst)
Lauder Morijah School (German:Lauder-Morijah-Schule), a Jewish school in Cologne, previously closed. After Russian immigration increased the Jewish population, the school reopened in 2002.[91]
Within Germany, Cologne is known as an important media centre. Several radio and television stations, includingWestdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR),RTL andVOX, have their headquarters in the city. Film and TV production is also important. The city is "Germany's capital of TV crime stories".[92] A third of all German TV productions are made in theCologne region.[92] Furthermore, the city hosts theCologne Comedy Festival, which is considered to be the largest comedy festival in mainland Europe.[93]
Cologne is considered "the secret golf capital of Germany".[94] The first golf club inNorth Rhine-Westphalia was founded in Cologne in 1906.[94] The city offers the most options and top events in Germany.[94]
^Werner Eck: Köln in römischer Zeit. Geschichte einer Stadt im Rahmen des Imperium Romanum. (= Geschichte der Stadt Köln in 13 Bänden, Bd. 1) Köln 2004, p. 325 ff.ISBN3-7743-0357-6.
^"Stadt Köln". Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved4 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) › ...PDFStatitstisches Jahrbuch Köln 2020
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