COLOGNE
Size
405 km2
Population
1.1 mio.
Visitors 2011
2.8 mio.
Room nights 2011
4.9 mio.
Capacity of beds 2011
29,553
Why to choose Cologne
Cologne – Germany's oldest metropolis awaits you!
GCologne is located in the heart of Europe and has an optimal
accessibility with 3 international airports reachable within 1 hour
(CGN / DUS / FRA)
GCologne has 2,000 years of history and is Germany’s oldest
metropolis
GIn Cologne you’ll find Germany’s most visited tourist attraction:
the Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
GCologne created the “fifth season” – the Cologne Carnival with
more than 1 mio. spectators at the Rose Monday Parade
GCologne offers its very special “Kölsch” beer
COLOGNE
sights & Culture
Cologne – City of Joy
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) Cologne Carnival
Cologne is worldwide famous for its cathedral, Cologne beer of
special preparation (Kölsch), Cologne University as well as numerous festivals – Cologne carnival, Christmas market and a variety
of international fairs. The world feels at home in Cologne, where
people meet for a drink, a chat or simply a laugh. Life in Cologne
is uncomplicated and energetic.
The Cologne cathedral with its two spires
(157 m) 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. In World War II, the city center
of Cologne was leveled by ­bombings;
the ­Cathedral was the only building that
s­ urvived. The relics of the Holy Epiphany
found their last resting place in the
­Cathedral. Other outstanding works of art
are to be found in the cathedral treasure
chamber.
Cologne is the oldest large town in Germany. Its name dates back
to the Romans who built up their Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinen­
sium (CCAA) in 50 AD. Cologne’s history traces back more than
two millennia. Founded as Roman colony, the town flourished in
the Middle Ages. Various powers influenced the town which up to
the present days developed into a cosmopolitan city.
The fifth season of the year called Karnival
begins on November 11th at 11.11 am.
The real “crazy days” do not start before
the so-called Weiberfastnacht on Thursday
before Carnival Monday (February / March
of the next year). Carnival is celebrated with
parties on the streets, in public squares and
in pubs.
Traditionally, the gathering of the colorful
carnival parade can be seen on Saturday at
the Neumarkt. On Carnival Sunday school
groups and borough parades take place
all over the city. But the highlight of the
street carnival is Rosenmontag with the
kilometre-­long procession going through
the city.
COLOGNE
sights & Culture
Christmas Market at the
­Cologne Cathedral
Christmas music, arts and crafts, toys,
decorations and the scent of the Christmas
bakeries create a wonderful ­atmosphere.
It is not just children’s eyes that light up
when glassblowers demonstrate their art,
and the aroma of mulled wine, hot chestnuts and gingerbread fills the air.
Chocolate Museum
Opened in 1993, the chocolate museum
is located in Cologne’s former harbor. The
building has been designed in the shape of
a ship’s prow in reference to this maritime
location. Architect Ernst Eller ­constructed
the building almost entirely out of glass.
Visitors can drink from the warm chocolate
fountain and try out the home-made chocoThe Christmas market in front of the famous late produced in the factory.
Cologne Cathedral offers 160 pavilions
with more than 70 artists which invite to a
Christmas ramble. It is certainly the most
imposing among the Cologne Christmas
markets. There are no usual alleys, but the
way leads all around through the uniformly
looking booths which writhe like a snail on
the place. The 20 meter high Christmas
tree is the tallest in the Rhineland. A must
see for everyone, who visits Cologne
­during the holiday season.
Media Park / Cinedom
Boat Trips on the Rhine
The Media Park combines media companies, cultural and leisure facilities. The
photographic collection of the cultural foundation and the Cologne House of literature
can be found here. The Cinedom is one
of the most successful German cinemas
and the editorial department of the radio
programs Eins Live and Radio Köln. The TV
music stations VIVA, VIVA ZWEI and Onyx
have moved to premises immediately next
door. The Cologne film theatre is located a
few steps away.
The river offers several ways for visitors
to Cologne to explore the city: A pano­
ramic round trip by boat offers a fantastic
overview of the sights of Cologne while
allowing visitors to admire the wonderful,
world-famous panorama of Cologne’s Old
Town. The newly designed Rheinauhafen
docks are a particularly special highlight.
The historical dockland quarter of Cologne
now boasts a new shopping strip with
numerous galleries and cafés.
A little further north up the river, a relatively
new tradition reflects the romantic effect
of the Rhine. For over three years, ­couples
have been hanging padlocks on the Hohen­
zollern bridge as a sign of their love and
then throwing the key into the Rhine.
More than 40,000 locks now adorn the iron
bridge.
COLOGNE
sights, Culture & shopping
Roman-Germanic Museum
Museum Ludwig
Hohe Straße and Schildergasse
Surroundings – Bonn and the
Rhineland
The Roman-Germanic Museum is an important archaeological museum in Cologne.
It has a large collection of Roman artifacts
from the Roman settlement of Colonia
Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, on which
­modern Cologne is built. The museum protects the original site of a Roman town villa
and houses examples of art, culture and
everyday life in Roman times. A highlight is
the worldwide largest collection of ­Roman
glass and especially the portrait miniature
of Emperor Augustus in ­turquoise glass.
The Museum Ludwig was founded in 1976
with the gift of around 350 works of modern
art by the Ludwig couple. It was to be the
first museum in Cologne to exhibit modern
art.
Alongside pop art works, the Ludwigs also
gave the museum an extensive ­collection
of Russian Avantgarde paintings from
the era 1906 to 1930 as well as several
­hundred works by Pablo Picasso on permanent loan.
The modern art department of the WallrafRichartz-Museum with the expressionist
collection of the Cologne lawyer Joseph
Haubrich forms the basis for the ­collection
of modern art and has since been
­inte­grated into the Ludwig Museum.
Roy Lichtenstein’s Maybe, Andy Warhol’s
Brillo Boxes or George Segal’s The Restau­
rant Window – icons of American pop art
– belong to the most famous works of the
museum.
The two classical shopping streets are the
Hohe Strasse and the Schildergasse. The
Hohe Strasse begins at Wallrafplatz next
to the cathedral. In 1967, it was Germany’s
first shopping street only for pedestrians
and completely without traffic.
For decades politics were made in Bonn,
West Germany’s capital from 1949 to 1990,
for decades. Today Germany’s UN city with
its former governmental quarter presents
itself as an ideal conference location.
In addition, Beethoven’s birthplace is
also an attractive cultural destination.
Bonn, which is said to be the “Gate to
the ­Romantic Rhine”, is situated on the
foot of the ­legendary Siebengebirge.
Further shops await you with offerings on
an even higher level, especially in fashion for women in the Schildergasse and
beyond. Along this street the huge and
modern building of the Neumarkt Galerie
shopping center could be the next visiting
point for those who love to go shopping.
The mighty slate rock Lorelei in the Romantic Rhine Valley rises up almost vertically
to 145 yards / 132 m above the water-level.
A very strong current and rocks below the
waterline have caused many boat ­accidents
there. The rock and the murmur it creates
have inspired various tales. An old legend
envisioned dwarves living in caves in the
rock.