are two side aisles on the left and right. The shrine of the Magi stands behind the High Altar; created in the form of a basilica, it embodies the Trinity of God. It is an outstanding work of mediaeval goldsmith’s art and is 110 cm wide, 153 cm tall and 220 cm in length. It weighs 600 kilos and was made on the instructions of Archbishop Philipp von Heinsberg in honour of the Magi. In addition to the precious Shrine of the Magi the cathedral contains numerous other treasures. The Cross of Gero is the oldest surviving large sculpture of the crucified Christ in the Western World, and there is also an altar triptych by Stefan Lochner portraying the patron saints of the city. Further religious treasures including reliquaries, liturgical utensils and grave finds are displayed in the cathedral Treasury in the crypt beneath the sacristy. Before the Second World War the southern transept contained a window donated by King Wilhelm I of Prussia depicting life-sized standing figures of secular rulers and the archbishops of Cologne. It was destroyed during the war and replaced by a new, light glass window which was considered to be inadequate. The artist Gerhard Richter, who lives in Cologne, was commissioned to create a new window. The huge window, covering an area of more than 100 m², is now filled with a vast number of small coloured squares in accordance with the artist’s design. He selected 80 colours which were already present in the 19th-century windows. Cologne Cathedral Domkloster 4, 50667 Cologne 6 am – 7.30 pm (November – April) 6 am – 9 pm (May – October) www.koelner-dom.de
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral is the city’s principal landmark and stands at the very heart of the metropolis on the Rhine. It is one of the masterpieces of European Gothic architecture and has been included on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage sites since 1996 by virtue of its spiritual and cultural-historical importance. The old cathedral was consecrated in 870, and after the relics of the Magi had been installed there in 1164, the construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1248. It came to a halt in the early 16th century as a result of a lack of both money and interest. For over 300 years the massive unfinished shell with its huge crane dominated the city skyline. During the 19th century advocates of German Romanticism directed public interest towards the Cathedral once more, and it was completed in 1880 in line with the mediaeval plan which had survived across the centuries. The Gothic Cathedral has five naves and is dominated by the monumental West façade with its twin towers which are 157 metres high. The slender main nave of the Cologne Cathedral is the longest nave in Germany. It is 144 metres in length and leads to the choir. There
Event Highlights
The churches The 12 Romanesque churches Groß St. Martin Groß St. Martin 9 Tue – Fri 9 am – 7.30 pm, Sat, Sun 10 am – 7.30 pm (in August Tue – Sun 2 pm – 6 pm) St. Maria im Kapitol Kasinostraße 6 Mon – Sat 10 am – 6 pm, Sun 1 pm – 6 pm
St. Kunibert Kunibertskloster 6 10 am – 6 pm St. Georg Georgsplatz 17 Waidmarkt/Corner of Georgstraße 8.30 am – 6 pm St. Maria Lyskirchen An Lyskirchen 8 9 am – 6 pm
St. Cäcilien/Museum Schnütgen Cäcilienstraße 29 Tue + Wed/Fri – Sun 10 am – 6 pm, St. Pantaleon Thu 10 am – 8 pm, 1st Thu in the Am Pantaleonsberg 6 month 10 am – 10 pm Mon – Sat 9 am – 7 pm, Sun 9.30 am – 7.30 pm St. Andreas Andreaskloster 3 St. Severin Mon – Fri 7.30 am – 6 pm, Severinskirchplatz Sat + Sun 8 am – 6 pm Mon – Fri 10 am – 6 pm, St. Gereon Sat 10 am – 1 pm, Sun 1 pm – 5 pm Gereonskloster 2 10 am – 6 pm Further religious buildings St. Aposteln Apostelnkloster 10 Daily 10 am – 1 pm/ 2 pm – 5 pm
Synagogue Roonstraße 50 Viewing permitted only as part of a guided tour
St. Ursula Ursulaplatz 30 Tue – Sat 10 am – 12 noon/ 3 pm – 5 pm, Sun 3 pm – 5 pm
Cologne Central Mosque Venloer Straße 160/Corner of Innere Kanalstraße 9 am – 20 pm
dSights and Activities Sights KölnTriangle, viewing platform Ottoplatz 1 Mon – Fri 12 noon – 8 pm, Sat + Sun + public holidays 10 am – 8 pm (October – April) Mon – Fri 11 am – 11 pm, Sat + Sun 10 am – 11 pm (May – September) www.koelntrianglepanorama.de
City tours by open-top doubledecker bus and the hop-on-hopoff tourist shuttle Stops e.g. by the Cathedral www.cityfahrten.de, www.ccs-busreisen.de City tours by narrow-gauge railway Stops e.g. by the Cathedral www.bimmelbahnen.de
Cable car across the Rhine Riehler Straße 180 10 am – 6 pm (March – November) Tickets for the tours can be www.koelner-seilbahn.de purchased from the Cologne Zoo | Riehler Straße 173 Tourist Board. 9 am – 5 pm (November – February) 9 am – 6 pm (March – October) Museen www.koelnerzoo.de With more than 40 museums and KD Köln-Düsseldorfer over 130 galleries, Cologne is an art metropolis of international Rheinschifffahrt standard. Its range of exhibits Departure: Frankenwerft extends from the Roman heritage www.k-d.com in the Romano-Germanic Museum KölnTourist – Personenschiffto mediaeval art in the Wallraffahrt am Dom Departure: Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud and modern art, which www.koelntourist.de can be seen for example in the Dampfschiffahrt Colonia Museum Ludwig or in the Museum Fahrgastschifffahrt Departure: Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer of Applied Arts. You will find www.dampfschiffahrt-colonia.de more detailed information in the museums flyer (available at the Cologne Tourist Board) or on www.museenkoeln.de
Carnival Carnival belongs to Cologne like the c athedral and the Rhine and plays an outstanding role in Cologne’s tradition. Carnival is also known here as “Fastelovend” or “Fasteleer”. It begins every year on the 11th day in the 11th month at exactly 11.11 am. The highlight of the celebrations is the street carnival which runs from “Weiberfastnacht”, the Thursday before Shrove Tuesday, to Ash Wednesday. www.cologne-tourism.com Gamescom Gamescom, the world’s biggest fair for computer and video games, is held every year in August at the koelnmesse. Visitors can experience additional entertainment and music at the gamescom festival in the city centre of Cologne. www.gamescom.de
Kölner Lichter In July, the “Cologne Lights” light up the sky above Cologne. The impressive fireworks in the sky accompanied by music transform the Rhine panorama into a sea of colours between the bridges Hohen zollernbrücke and Zoobrücke. The highlight at the end of the colourful festival is a huge convoy of boats. www.koelner-lichter.de Cologne before Christmas The cathedral city takes on a particular flair during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Numerous Christmas markets, especially the one in front of the Cathedral, attract visitors with stands for browsing, shopping, eating and drinking. Also worth seeing: the world’s biggest exhibition of Nativity scenes and the ice rink on Heumarkt. www.cologne-tourism.com
“Kölsch”: Cologne Culture “Kölsch” is not just the dialect spoken in Cologne; it is also the name of the famous local beer. There are more than 3,000 restaurants and taverns in the city; the local breweries are the most deeply steeped in tradition as their origins can be traced back over many centuries. Here in Cologne the top-fermented “Kölsch” beer is drawn into characteristic narrow cylindrical glasses. Served together with a hearty Rhineland meal, “Kölsch” is as essential a part of the city’s culture as the Cathedral and the Rhine. In many brewery taverns the waiter – known here as the “Köbes” – still wears the blue uniform which has been the traditional brewery workwear for decades. “Kölsch” is drunk with a “Halve Hahn”, a rye bread roll with medium-mature Gouda, onions and mustard. Other characteristic specialities served in brewery taverns include “Kölscher Kaviar” (black pudding with onions), “Rievkooche” (potato fritters), “Himmel un Äd” (“Heaven and Earth”: apple sauce = heaven, mashed potatoes = earth, mostly served with fried black pudding) and “Hämche” (knuckle of pork). Brewery taverns are cheerful, friendly places. The waiters bring more beer without being asked until the customer puts a beer mat on top of the empty glass, thereby signalising that he or she does not want another round. Guests should simply adopt this charming custom during their visit. After it you will understand why the beer, the language and the lifestyle in this city all bear the same name – “Kölsch”.
Cologne Breweries Brauerei zur Malzmühle Heumarkt 6 ☎ +49 (0) 221 – 92 16 06 13 www.muehlenkoelsch.de
Gaffel am Dom Bahnhofsvorplatz 1 ☎ +49 (0) 221 - 9 13 92 60 www.gaffel.de
Brauhaus Sion Unter Taschenmacher 5-7 ☎ +49 (0) 221 – 2 57 85 40 www.brauhaus-sion.de
Brauhaus Päffgen Friesenstraße 64-66 ☎ +49 (0) 221 - 13 54 61 www.paeffgen-koelsch.de
Peters Brauhaus Mühlengasse 1 ☎ +49 (0) 221 – 2 57 39 50 www.peters-brauhaus.de
Brauhaus Reissdorf Kleiner Griechenmarkt 40 ☎ +49 (0) 221 - 21 92 54 www.brauhaus-reissdorf.de
Früh am Dom Am Hof 12-14 ☎ +49 (0) 221 – 2 61 32 15 www.frueh.de
Hellers Brauhaus Roonstraße 33 ☎ +49 (0) 221 - 2 40 18 81 www.hellers-brauhaus.de
Hohe Straße/Schildergasse Two of the most popular shopping streets in Germany with international chains and the second largest department store of Germany, Galeria Kaufhof Breite Straße A street full of contrasts with a mixture of shopping arcades, specialist stores and small shops Minoriten District/ Kolumba District Exclusive fashion stores and shops with unusual products
The Cologne Tourist Board Service Centre by the Cathedral
Farina-Haus Obenmarspforten 21 Mon – Sat 10 am – 7 pm, Sun 11 am – 5 pm www.farina.eu Dufthaus 4711 Glockengasse 4 Mon – Fri 9.30 am – 6.30 pm, Sat 9.30 am – 6 pm www.4711.com
Neumarkt The heart of Cologne with exclusive shops, elegant arcades and changing markets Belgisches Viertel A district with exclusive products, innovative boutiques and young designers Eigelstein Former red-light district, today with numerous shops and greengrocers from all over the world Apostelnstraße, St.-ApernStraße, Pfeilstraße, Mittelstraße Exclusive brands, extravagant fashions and owner-managed shops
Bäckerei Zimmermann Traditional baked goods Ehrenstraße 75 www.baeckereizimmermann.de Manufactum Household items and home accessories Brückenstraße 23 www.manufactum.de Hard Rock Café Rock Shop – fashion and souvenirs Gürzenichstraße 8 www.hardrock.com “Maus & mehr” Everything about the children’s television programme “Die Sendung mit der Maus” – toys Breite Straße 6 www.mausundmehr.de Apropos – The Concept Store Fashion and Accessories Mittelstraße 12 www.apropos-store.com Madame Miammiam Petit Four Antwerpener Straße 39 www.madamemiammiam.de
© KölnTourismus & Wienand Medien GmbH The editorial team of KölnGuide has chosen the tours and service sections with great care. We accept no liability for possible errors. The reprinting of reports and photos, including excerpts thereof, require in all cases the prior the written permission of the publishers. Photo credits: KölnTourismus GmbH/Dieter Jacobi, p. 1+6; David Stoll, p. 2; ©KölnTourismus GmbH/Andreas Möltgen, p. 3; Dieter Jacobi/KölnTourismus GmbH, p. 5; KD Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG, p. 5; J. Rieger, Köln/Festkomitee Kölner Karneval, p. 6; Koelnmesse (gamescom), p. 6; KölnTourismus GmbH/Dieter Jacobi (Eisbahn), p. 6; KölnTourismus GmbH/Andreas Möltgen, p. 6; Dieter Jacobi/KölnTourismus GmbH, p. 8; Jens Korte KölnTourismus GmbH, p. 12; alle weiteren Fotos von Andrea Dingeldein, Uwe Schmitz, Jürgen Sieckmeyer
A Walking Tour Through the Historic City Centre 2.5 km (30 minutes walking)
Schatzkammer
2
Kölner Dom
1
3
RoncalliPlatz
Museum Ludwig 5 Philharmonie Römisch-Germanisches Museum 4
Hbf
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Praetor ium Farina-Haus 12
9
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
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Gürzenich
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Alter Markt
7
Groß St. Martin
11 Rathaus
Heumarkt
Our tour begins in front of the richly sculpted main portal of Cologne Cathedral 1 2 , Cologne’s most important monument. Take a moment to gaze upwards at the mighty towers of the West Front. Crossing Roncalli-Platz you will arrive at the Romano-Germanic Museum 3 (due to renovation work, exhibition takes place at: Belgisches Haus, Cäcilienstraße 46) with exhibits from the very beginnings of the 2,000-year-old history of Cologne. At the side is a passage with Roman monuments leading to the Museum Ludwig 4 . There the main highlights amongst the top works of the 20th century and the present day include Pop Art and Picasso. Continue to the Philharmonie 5 , Cologne’s famous concert hall. Heinrich-Böll-Platz marks the start of the Rheingarten, which you can reach via a large staircase. Following Große Neugasse and turning left through Bechergasse you will reach the historic city centre. Stroll through Cologne’s old district with the mediaeval houses of craftsmen and merchants and the restaurants, shops and bars of today. From the Alter Markt 6 with its Jan von Werth fountain you will have a fine view of the 61-metre-high bell tower of the City Hall with its carillon. Turn left through Mühlengasse towards the Rhine, then right along Mauthgasse beneath the Romanesque Basilica of Gross St. Martin 7 (dedicated in 1172). The next stop is Fischmarkt with its fountain, wine taverns, breweries and old warehouses. Straight ahead lies Buttermarkt, a cultural meltingpot. Follow Salzgasse and the Päffgen brewery bar will be straight
ahead of you. A detour to the left will take you to Eisenmarkt with the Hänneschen-Theater and its 200-year-old puppet stage, and then another detour (turning right out of Salzgasse) will bring you to Ostermannplatz with the fountain statue to Cologne’s greatest folk singer. At the end of Salzgasse you will see Heumarkt with the equestrian statue of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. It was an important trading square during the Middle Ages. Leave the square at Gürzenichstraße, which leads to the Gürzenich 8 , built in 1447 as a banqueting hall. Turn right into Quatermarkt. An underground museum with monuments from two millennia is being erected here. Take a look at the ruins of the Praetorium 9 (currently closed due to construction), the residence of the Roman provincial governor. You can walk for a distance of some 150 metres through the original preserved Roman sewer. The Jewish ritual bath or Mikwe which has been excavated is also worth seeing. The square is bordered by the Wallraf-RichartzMuseum 10 with art from the 13th to the 19th centuries. You can take an excellent photo of the Cathedral from the second floor. Diagonally across stands the historic City Hall 11 (first mentioned in 1135-1152) with its Renaissance oriel window extending across two storeys and on the other side you will see the Farina House 12 , headquarters of the oldest perfume factory in the world. The way back will take you via the Obenmarspforten, with a right turn into Marspfortengasse. On the right you will see the Jupp-Schmitz-Plätzchen with the monument to the legendary Carnival singer. Then turn right into Salomonsgasse and across Laurenzplatz with the monument to the beloved Cardinal Josef Frings (1887 – 1978) and left along Unter Goldschmied.
4 260216 043185
KölnTourismus Kardinal-Höffner-Platz 1 Mon – Sat 9 am – 8 pm, Sun 10 am – 5 pm ☎ +49 (0) 221 – 34 64 30 info@koelntourismus.de www.koelntourismus.de, www.der-koelnshop.de, www.visit.koeln
The original Eau de Cologne is the most important type of cologne and has a long history. In 1709 the perfumer Johann Maria Farina created a toilet water which he later called “Eau de Cologne” in honour of his elective home town. To this day the fragrance is manufactured to the same recipe using the essence of lemon, orange, bergamot, mandarin, lime, cedar and grapefruit. The headquarters of the familyrun Farina concern in the historic city centre of Cologne house the Fragrance Museum, in which visitors can learn about the history of Eau de Cologne. For example, the “Perfumer Farina” will lead them in historic costume on a guided tour during which they are introduced to the secrets of the fragrance. Some 100 years later another factory for the production of eau de cologne was established in Glockengasse. The name 4711 dates from 1794, when the French army garrisoned the Rhineland and issued the command that all houses in Cologne should be numbered consecutively; the building in Glockengasse was given the continuous number 4711. Every hour on the hour between 9 am and 7 pm the carillon plays the tune of the Marseillaise. In the 4711 building visitors can immerse themselves in the world of fragrances – for example in a fragrance seminar, in which they can create their own eau de cologne with the help of an expert.
Friesenviertel/Ehrenstraße Typical Cologne district with charming little shops and trendy bars and restaurants
KölnShop KölnSouvenirs Kardinal-Höffner-Platz 1 www.der-koelnshop.de
Tour
Price: 0,20 € 4260216043185
The Cologne Tourist Board service centre is your first port of call for all questions relating to Cologne. We always try to answer all of your touristic questions. Whether you are looking for a city map, a city tour or a hotel room, you will find all these – and much more – in our service centre by the cathedral. We can also give you tips as to how you can turn your stay in Cologne into an unforgettable experience, by giving you advice on events, excursions and ventures. And of course we have the tickets you will need as well. The wide-ranging tour programmed by the Cologne experts will provide informative and fascinating entertainment to suit all tastes. You can discover Cologne conveniently and inexpensively with the KölnCard. It provides free travel by public transport for 24 or 48 hours and up to 50% discounts on sightseeing, art, culture and gastronomy. You can obtain the KölnCard directly from the Cologne Tourist Board or at all ticket machines of KVB and Deutsche Bahn throughout the entire Rhein-Sieg transportation authority. In our souvenir shop beside Cologne Cathedral (or online: www.der-koelnshop.de) you will find a wide selection of “genuine Cologne” souvenirs and original gifts.
Eau de Cologne
Shopping tips
Rhein
V Shopping District