Much to offer: beer, museums, the cathedral and - carnival!
This city has just everything! People have wit and are fun-loving, many museums offer various exhibitions and arts as well music and faith are high on the list of priorities. At almost every corner is a pub. You will be fascinated by this city which calls itself „the nicest".
In Germany only the Ulmer Münster has a higher church tower than Cologne. The construction of Cologne Cathedral took 632 years! Its two towers can already be seen from far away. Since centuries Cologne is bishop's seat and pilgrimage site. The skeletons of the three Wise Men are buried here.
But also from a cultural point of view the cathedral is interesting. Its unique architecture, stonecutting works of the facade, its bells and organs, even the cathedral museum and in recent times now the Richter window are worth seeing. In 1996 Cologne Cathedral became world cultural heritage: doubtlessly it is one of the greatest masterpieces of Gothic architecture.
In front of the cathedral is always something happening: shows, skaters, Christmas market, concerts, art exhibitions, street musicians and artists make the place a fascinating one. From here it’s just a stone’s throw away to the pedestrian street where are lots of boutiques, department stores and fast-food restaurants.
A chilled Kölsch, eau de cologne or the water that runs down river Rhine… While having a Kölsch you will easily get in contact with locals, who are unbelievably cheerful. The typical smell of hop you will have in one of the brewery restaurants in which the waiter who is called Köbes carries a tray of full Kölsch.
The small and comfortable Old Town offers pubs in half-timbered houses, bars open around the clock and a Rhine shore with particularly for tourists elegant ambience.
Cologne is the stronghold of carnival. Already on 11.11 the crazy time begins. Countless events are staged until at Weiberfastnacht the hot phase begins. Bars are full. Really crowded! No way to find a place left for even standing. People are dancing on tables and drinks are past outside, because so many guests do not fit anymore in and have to celebrate on the door steps and sidewalks! Everybody is going wild. The climax is on Monday, called Rosenmontag: "De Zoch kütt" (The parade comes) – Germany’s biggest parade with hundred thousands of spectators takes place.
Doubtlessly there are people who leave their "Veedel" as a quarter is called in local dialect, only for a few days a year, because everything they need they can get there. Markets take place each day in another quarter, so that each quarter has its own weekly street market with fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products. It’s likely that you will pass one of the twelve Romanesque monastery or convent churches that are located within the medieval town walls and belong to the most important of their kind in Western Europe.
The town’s two parts are connected by numerous bridges. One of the nicest ones is the Hohenzollernbrücke with ten thousands of „love padlocks“. To make their love eternal, couples lock a pair of padlocks on the bridge’s railing and throw the key in the river. Padlocks in all colours, forms, engravings and decoration hang at the bridge today and everyday their number rises. It’s heavy weight for the bridge: the weight of the padlocks is estimated to exceed two tonnes.
One of the most important crossings for pedestrians, cyclists and cars is the Deutzer Bridge. Already the Romans built in approximately 310 A.D. exactly at this point a wooden construction with stone pillars. This was the first crossing and used in that architectural style until 950 A.D.
More information: http://www.cologne.de/
Photo: Kanuman/Shutterstock
