Cathedral, zoo and carnival – there is a lot that Cologne is known for. Behind it, however, lies a modern metropolis with a lot of history.
Cologne – as the fourth largest city in the country, the Rhine metropolis is sometimes overshadowed by Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. But with its historic city center, lively gastronomic scene and a busy exhibition center, Cologne remains an attraction for tourists, visitors and business travelers far beyond the region.
| population | 1.083.498 (Stand 2020) |
| Surface | 405,01 km² |
| Federal State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| city founding | 38 v. Chr. |
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The history of the city dates back to 38 BC. when the Romans established a new colony on the Rhine River, which marked the frontier of the empire. Over the centuries, trade on the river and later the influence of the resident archbishop enabled Cologne to develop into an important hub in the region. Since 2010, the population of the urban area has officially numbered more than one million, which makes the cathedral city the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth largest city in Germany.
Cologne sights – Cathedral and Zoo are very popular
The Cologne Cathedral is considered the landmark of the city and can hardly be avoided during a visit. With its central location, just to the side of Cologne Central Station, and with a remarkable height of 157 meters, the cathedral is visible from many points in the city. You can also see him scattered around the city on countless illustrations, from advertising posters to Kölsch glasses. But in addition to the cathedral, the city has a whole range of other sights to offer.
The Cologne Zoo, like the cathedral, is a regionally known and popular destination. The heart of the zoo is the two-hectare elephant park, which houses more than a dozen Asian elephants, including some young animals. In addition, the zoo offers a historic aviary, a monkey rock with around 50 baboons, and an aquarium, which can also be visited separately.
The cityscape of Cologne is also characterized by a large number of historical buildings. In addition to the well-known cathedral, Cologne is also home to twelve important Romanesque, as well as a number of Gothic and Baroque churches. In the midst of the densely built-up city center there are also remnants of Roman architecture, which the centrally located Romano-Germanic Museum also provides information on.
Cologne city center on the Rhine, with the cathedral in the background.
© Jochen Tack / Imago
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The lively city center of Cologne
The city center of Cologne stretches around the historic old town, a colorful network of shopping streets, gastronomic offers and traffic arteries. With more than 77,000 pedestrians a day, the Schildergasse in the heart of the city center is one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe. In addition to a large variety of shops and restaurants, there are also some of the most famous Cologne breweries, where the locally typical Kölsch and regional specialties are served.
Trade fair city Cologne – Gamescom and more
On the eastern side of the Rhine, the so-called “Schäl Sick”, is the Cologne exhibition center, where around 80 trade fairs, exhibitions and events take place in 11 halls every year. The largest events at the Cologne trade fair include the international motorcycle and scooter trade fair Intermot and Anuga, one of the world’s largest trade fairs for the food industry.
However, the annual Gamescom, which often attracts more than 300,000 people interested in gaming, attracts the most visitors. The international computer game fair is one of the largest of its kind and brings all the major publishers from the gaming scene to Cologne. In addition to big names such as Riot Games and EA, the hundreds of exhibitors now also include numerous indie studios that present their latest games and offer them to try out.
Trade fair visitors in Cologne in August 2019 are waiting in front of a Gamescom exhibition hall to be admitted.
©Oliver Berg/dpa
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Music and events in Cologne
In addition to trade fairs and tourism, Cologne is also a metropolis with a diverse cultural life. From the Philharmonie directly on Domplatz to the Lanxess Arena, which has already been used by greats such as Metallica and Phil Collins, the city usually offers a wide range of cultural events. In the Belgian Quarter, the student “Kwartier Latäng” and the formerly alternative Ehrenfeld there is also a wide range of clubs, bars and beer gardens, where live music and other events can often be found.
Cologne hosts the country’s largest LGBT pride parade every year on the first weekend in July, often attracting more than a million visitors. With the Summerjam, Cologne is also the home of the largest reggae festival in Europe. The festival also takes place every year in July at Fühlinger See in the north of the city.
Cologne and the carnival
A date that is marked in the calendar of every Cologne resident is the carnival week. In the week before Ash Wednesday, the 52nd day before Easter Sunday, almost the whole city turns upside down and celebrates the street carnival. With large parades throwing sweets and bouquets of flowers to spectators and lavish celebrations, both on the streets and in bars and pubs, the Cologne Carnival attracts up to 1.5 million visitors a year.
In addition to the carnival week, the so-called fifth season is also taken seriously in Cologne. In the period from November 11th until the start of the street carnival on Weiberfastnacht, the carnival associations meet regularly in closed carnival sessions. So it is not uncommon to run into costumed people on the tram or in the city center outside of the carnival week.
Arrival to Cologne
With the lively main train station and the Messe/Deutz train station, Cologne is particularly easy to reach for travelers by train. In addition, Cologne/Bonn Airport is only a few kilometers from the city limits for long-distance travellers. From the airport it is possible to take the train directly to the exhibition center or to the city center.
Rubric picture: © IMAGO / Malte Ossowski / Sven Simon
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