Cologne Today: The Cathedral City on the Rhine

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Text to type: Cologne is a large German city on the Rhine, the river that runs through it. Köln is its German name. With over 1 million people, Cologne is Germany’s fourth-largest city. It is also the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state where it stands. The state capital is Düsseldorf, about 35 kilometres northwest of Cologne. Most of Cologne lies on the left bank of the Rhine. The river is an important part of the city’s setting, but Cologne offers more than river views. It has more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Its mix of older places and newer buildings gives the city a varied appearance.

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Text to type: The Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, the Roman settlement here, in AD 50. They named it after Emperor Claudius, a Roman ruler, and his wife Agrippina, who was born here. The name Cologne comes from Colonia. In the Middle Ages, Cologne was a rich trade city on the Rhine. It joined the Hanseatic League, a group of trading cities. The river connected the city with other places and their goods. Much later, bombing during the Second World War destroyed around 80% of the old city centre. Cologne was rebuilt after the war. Today, Roman remains and medieval churches stand alongside many newer buildings from the rebuilding. The centre is not simply an old city preserved unchanged.

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Text to type: Cologne Cathedral, also called Kölner Dom, is a Catholic church in the Gothic style. Building began in 1248, stopped around 1560, and finished in 1880 according to the medieval plan. The full span was 632 years, including the long pause. Its two spires are 157 metres tall, making it the world’s tallest twin-spired church. It was built to hold the Shrine of the Three Kings, a golden medieval shrine. In 1996, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place recognized for its special cultural value. It is Germany’s most visited landmark, with about 6 million visitors a year. Fourteen bombs hit it during the Second World War, but it stayed standing. Visitors can climb 533 steps in the South Tower to a viewing platform about 100 metres high. The route passes the bell chamber. Since 1 July 2026, tourist visits inside require a ticket. People coming to pray can still enter free through the entrance facing Cologne Central Station.

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Text to type: The Hohenzollern Bridge is a railway bridge across the Rhine next to the cathedral. Built from 1907 to 1911, it carries more than 1,200 trains a day. It is Germany’s busiest railway bridge. Since 2008, couples have attached love locks, padlocks that express their love, to its fence. The Old Town, Cologne’s historic central area, includes the squares Alter Markt and Heumarkt near the Rhine. A riverside walk offers a different way to enjoy this part of the city. At Rheinauhafen, a harbour on the Rhine, the Chocolate Museum follows 5,000 years of chocolate history. Visitors can see cocoa plants in a 10-metre-high tropical house, watch chocolate being made, and enjoy the café’s river view. Museum Ludwig, a modern art museum next to the cathedral, has a building that opened in 1986. It has Pop Art, art connected with popular culture, and around 900 works by the artist Pablo Picasso. Its Picasso collection is the world’s third-largest, after Barcelona and Paris.

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Text to type: Kölsch is Cologne’s local beer. Its name has been protected in the European Union since 1997, and real Kölsch must be brewed within about 50 kilometres of Cologne. It comes in a Stange, a tall, thin 200 ml glass. A Köbes, the waiter, carries glasses on a round tray. The waiter brings another when yours is empty and marks each drink on your beer mat, the small mat under your glass. Putting the mat on top means you want to stop. Cologne Carnival is called the fifth season, the city’s special carnival period. It opens at 11:11 on 11 November. Street carnival runs from Weiberfastnacht, the Thursday before Lent, to Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. Its highlight is the Rose Monday parade, two days before Ash Wednesday. The local greeting is Kölle Alaaf. Work also brings people together. Koelnmesse, Cologne’s trade fair centre, holds around 80 trade fairs a year. A trade fair brings businesses and visitors together around a subject or industry. One example is gamescom, the video game fair. RTL, Germany’s largest private broadcaster, also has its headquarters here.

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Text to type: Cologne opened its first Christmas market in 1820. Today, its Christmas markets attract about 4 million visitors a year. These seasonal markets sell food, gifts, and decorations among Christmas lights. The Market of Hearts is on Roncalliplatz, the square in front of the cathedral. In 2026, it runs from 16 November to 23 December, with more than 140 stalls and a stage beneath a tent of lights. The Market of Angels is on Neumarkt, a central square near the main shopping streets. Stars shine in the trees, and people dressed as angels walk through the market. Heinzels Wintermärchen, another market, spreads across Alter Markt and Heumarkt. It takes its name from the Heinzelmännchen, little house elves in a Cologne legend. It opens on 23 November 2026, and its Heumarkt area stays open until 10 January 2027. There is a large open-air ice rink for skating on Heumarkt and a Christmas Ferris wheel at the Chocolate Museum. Visitors can enjoy waffles and Glühwein, hot red wine with spices. The Christmas Market Express, a small train, takes people between markets.

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