If you arrive in Cologne by train, you only have to step one step out of the main train station and you are in the heart of the city: right in front of Cologne Cathedral. In countless songs, people from Cologne sing about their beloved cathedral spiers. Home for some, one of the most visited sights in Germany for others: the foundation stone for the Gothic cathedral was laid as early as 1248, it was only completed a little more than 630 years later – in Cologne some things take a little longer.
Perhaps this is due to the “Kölschen way”: “It still went well,” the people of Cologne often and happily say. “Kölsch” means a lot: dialect, way of life and the beer. Evil tongues say it’s not a real beer, but they probably come from Düsseldorf. The people of Cologne have a loving rivalry with the other big city on the Rhine.
Explore Cologne digitally
You can start the digital discovery tour in Cologne with a virtual journey back in time to 1904. You can take the historic tram line 14 along the banks of the Rhine in Cologne. The highlights of the trip are now also available here online.
Those who prefer to deal with the history of the city during and after the Nazi era can take a digital tour with the director of the Cologne City Museum, Dr. Mario Kamp and the curator Yvonne Katzy through the new special exhibition Cologne 1945. Everyday life in ruins do. After twelve years of National Socialist reign of terror and almost six years of war, Cologne looked like a ghost town. In a multi-part video series, the two experts will take you into this time.
Cologne beer and robust Köbesse
If you want to get an idea of Cologne beer, you can visit a brewery, such as FRÜH am Dom. Quaint, loud and rustic is not only its interior, the Köbesse (waiters) are also famous for their robust manner.
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Right next to the cathedral are two of Cologne’s many famous museums: the Museum Ludwig, world-famous for its collection of 20th and 21st century art, and the Roman-Germanic Museum, which takes visitors back 2,000 years to a time when the City, which at that time was still called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was founded.
Cologne old town on the Rhine
The Rhine is almost as important for Cologne as the cathedral. The people of Cologne walk along the promenade, sit in cafes and look at their river. From here, the famous church Groß St. Martin and the historic town hall are only a few steps away.
What is missing? A lot more. But what shouldn’t be missing: the Cologne Carnival. Whether it’s the Rose Monday procession, the pub or street carnival, the “fifth season” turns everything upside down for six days a year in Cologne.
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