Cologne

Roman Cologne from a Roman villa of Cologne, Germany (site of the ancient city Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium), 3rd century AD, Romano-Germanic Museum The first urban settlement on the grounds of modern-day Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum, founded in 38 BC by the Ubii, a Cisrhenian Germanic tribe. In AD 50, the Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine, It was also known as . Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near the wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007. From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire under Postumus, Marius, and Victorinus. In 310, under emperor Constantine I, a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centers in the Roman Empire north of the Alps. Middle Ages Early medieval Cologne was part of Austrasia within the Frankish Empire. Cunibert, made bishop of Cologne in 623, was an important advisor to the Merovingian King Dagobert I and served with domesticus Pepin of Landen as tutor to the king's son and heir Siegebert III, the future king of Austrasia. In 716, Charles Martel commanded an army for the first time and suffered the only defeat of his life when Chilperic II, King of Neustria, invaded Austrasia and the city fell to him in the Battle of Cologne. Charles fled to the Eifel mountains, rallied supporters and took the city back that same year after defeating Chilperic in the Battle of Amblève. Cologne had been the seat of a bishop since the Roman period; under Charlemagne, in 795, bishop Hildebold was promoted to archbishop. In order to weaken the secular nobility, who threatened his power, Otto endowed Bruno and his archiepiscopal successors with the prerogatives of secular princes, thus establishing the Electorate of Cologne, formed by the temporal possessions of the archbishopric and included in the end a strip of territory along the left Bank of the Rhine east of Jülich, as well as the Duchy of Westphalia on the other side of the Rhine, beyond Berg and Mark. By the end of the 12th century, the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. Besides being prince elector, he was Archchancellor of Italy as well, technically from 1238 and permanently from 1263 until 1803. Following the Battle of Worringen in 1288, Cologne gained its independence from the archbishops and became a Free City. Archbishop Sigfried II von Westerburg was forced to reside in Bonn. The archbishop nevertheless preserved the right of capital punishment. Thus the municipal council (though in strict political opposition towards the archbishop) depended upon him in all matters concerning criminal justice. This included torture, the sentence for which was only allowed to be handed down by the episcopal judge known as the greve. This legal situation lasted until the French conquest of Cologne. Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's archbishop, Rainald of Dassel, gave the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they had been taken from Milan). Besides the three magi Cologne preserves the relics of Saint Ursula and Albertus Magnus. Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west as well as the main south–north Western Europe trade route, Venice to Netherlands; even by the mid-10th century, merchants in the town were already known for their prosperity and luxurious standard of living due to the availability of trade opportunities. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League in 1475, when Frederick III confirmed the city's imperial immediacy. The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the Electorate of Cologne, which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century, the majority of archbishops were drawn from the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn and later in Brühl on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status as electors, the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 19th century until World War I Cologne lost its status as a free city during the French period. According to the Treaty of Lunéville (1801), all the territories of the Holy Roman Empire on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into the French Republic (which had already occupied Cologne in 1794). Thus this region later became part of Napoleon's Empire. Cologne was part of the French Département Roer (named after the river Roer, German: Rur) with Aachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernised public life, for example, by introducing the Napoleonic Code and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic Code remained in use on the left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) was introduced in the German Empire. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Cologne was made part of the Kingdom of Prussia, first in the Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and then the Rhine Province. The permanent tensions between the Catholic Rhineland and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in the focus of the conflict. In 1837, the archbishop of Cologne, Clemens August von Droste-Vischering, was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Catholics and Protestants (Mischehenstreit). In 1874, during the Kulturkampf, Archbishop Paul Melchers was imprisoned before taking asylum in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to a deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, became the first West German chancellor. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialisation changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing was especially successful, though the heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in the Ruhr area. The cathedral, started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly founded German empire and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at the expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by contemporary buildings. Cologne was designated as one of the Fortresses of the German Confederation. It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of Verdun and Liège) with two fortified belts surrounding the city, the remains of which can be seen to this day. The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers, and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very densely built-up area within the city itself. During World War I Cologne was the target of several minor air raids but suffered no significant damage. Cologne was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine until 1926, under the terms of the Armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty. In contrast with the harsh behaviour of the French occupation troops in Germany, the British forces were more lenient to the local population. Konrad Adenauer, the mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and later a West German chancellor, acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially since Britain had opposed French demands for a permanent Allied occupation of the entire Rhineland. As part of the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, the city's fortifications had to be dismantled. This was an opportunity to create two green belts (Grüngürtel) around the city by converting the fortifications and their fields of fire into large public parks. This was not completed until 1933. In 1919 the University of Cologne, closed by the French in 1798, was reopened. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of the University of Strasbourg on the west bank of the Rhine, which reverted to France with the rest of Alsace. Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic (1919–33), and progress was made especially in public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and were copied by other German cities. Cologne competed to host the Olympics, and a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, the prohibition of civil aviation was lifted and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport soon became a hub for national and international air traffic, second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport. The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to the Nazi Party and other extreme-right parties. The Nazis then arrested the Communist and Social Democrats members of the city assembly, and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed. Compared to some other major cities, however, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne. (Significantly, the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party in Reichstag elections had always been the national average.) By 1939, the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants. World War II During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters () for Wehrkreis VI (headquartered at Münster). Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations in Bonn, Siegburg, Aachen, Jülich, Düren, and Monschau. Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment. The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on the city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built-up area. During the Bombing of Cologne in World War II, Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed of built-up area (61%), killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. The devastation was recorded by Hermann Claasen from 1942 until the end of the war, and presented in his exhibition and book of 1947 Singing in the furnace. Cologne – Remains of an old city. Cologne was taken by the American First Army in early March 1945 during the Invasion of Germany after a battle. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. By the end of 1945, however, the population had already recovered to approximately 450,000. By the end of the war, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis. The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. The synagogue on Roonstraße was rebuilt in 1959. Post-war and Cold War eras Despite Cologne's status as the largest city in the region, nearby Düsseldorf was chosen as the political capital of the federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia. With Bonn being chosen as the provisional federal capital (provisorische Bundeshauptstadt) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (then informally West Germany), Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between two important political centres. The city became–and still is–home to a number of federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990, Berlin was made the capital of Germany. In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble". Schwarz designed the master plan for reconstruction in 1947, which included the construction of several new thoroughfares through the city centre, especially the Nord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after the war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already, to a certain degree, evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier when most of the city centre was in ruins. The destruction of 95% of the city centre, including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches such as St. Gereon, Great St. Martin, St. Maria im Kapitol and several other monuments in World War II, meant a tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks such as the Gürzenich event hall was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church of St. Kunibert was finished. In 1959, the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1 million for about one year from 1975. It remained just below that until mid-2010, when it exceeded 1 million again. Post-reunification In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. The first was the growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strong visual focal point in Cologne's city centre and includes the KölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. The second was the permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which made Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe. Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair, the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s, were rented out to RTL, Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters. Cologne was the focus of the 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany, with over 500 women reporting that they were sexually assaulted by persons of African and Arab appearance. ==Geography==

The metropolitan area encompasses over , extending around a central point that lies at 50° 56' 33 latitude and 6° 57' 32 longitude. The city's highest point is above sea level (the Monte Troodelöh) and its lowest point is above sea level (the Worringer Bruch). The city of Cologne lies within the larger area of the Cologne Lowland, a cone-shaped area of the central Rhineland that lies between Bonn, Aachen and Düsseldorf. Districts Cologne is divided into 9 boroughs (Stadtbezirke) and 85 districts (Stadtteile): Climate Located in the Rhine-Ruhr area, Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. It has a temperate–oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) with cool winters and warm summers. It is also one of the cloudiest cities in Germany, with just 1,567.5 hours of sun a year. Its average annual temperature is : during the day and at night. In January, the mean temperature is , while the mean temperature in July is . The record high temperature of happened on 25 July 2019 during the July 2019 European heat wave in which Cologne saw three consecutive days over . Especially the inner urban neighbourhoods experience a greater number of hot days, as well as significantly higher temperatures during nighttime compared to the surrounding area (including the airport, where temperatures are classified). Still temperatures can vary noticeably over the course of a month with warmer and colder weather. Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year with a light peak in summer due to showers and thunderstorms. The progressing climate change can be seen by looking at the climate data of the previous decade with lower mean temperatures. }} Flood protection Cologne is regularly affected by flooding from the Rhine and is considered the most flood-prone European city. A city agency (Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln, "Cologne Urban Drainage Operations") manages an extensive flood control system which includes both permanent and mobile flood walls, protection from rising waters for buildings close to the river banks, monitoring and forecasting systems, pumping stations and programmes to create or protect floodplains, and river embankments. The system was redesigned after a 1993 flood, which resulted in heavy damage. ==Demographics==

In the Roman Empire, the city was large and rich with a population of 40,000 in 100–200 AD. The city was home to around 20,000 people in 1000 AD, growing to 50,000 in 1200 AD. The Rhineland metropolis still had 50,000 residents in 1300 AD. Cologne is the fourth-largest city by population in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. As of 31 December 2021, there were 1,079,301 people registered as living in Cologne in an area of , which makes Cologne the third largest city by area. The population density was . Cologne first reached the population of 1,000,000 in 1975 due to the incorporation of Wesseling, however this was reversed after public opposition. In 2009 Cologne's population again reached 1,000,000 and it became one of the four cities in Germany with a population exceeding 1 Million. The metropolitan area of the Cologne Bonn Region is home to 3,573,500 living on . It is part of the polycentric megacity region Rhine-Ruhr with a population of over 11,000,000 people. There were 551,528 women and 527,773 men in Cologne. In 2021, there were 11,127 births in Cologne; 5,844 marriages and 1,808 divorces, and 10,536 deaths. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.3% under the age of 18, and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. 203 people in Cologne were over the age of 100. Irenaeus of Lyons claimed that Christianity was brought to Cologne by Roman soldiers and traders at an unknown early date. It is known that in the early second century it was a bishop's seat. The first historical Bishop of Cologne was Saint Maternus. Thomas Aquinas studied in Cologne in 1244 under Albertus Magnus. Cologne is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cologne. According to the 2011 census, 2.1% of the population was Eastern Orthodox, 0.5% belonged of an Evangelical Free Church and 4.2% belonged to further religious communities officially recognized by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (such as Jehovah's Witnesses). There are several mosques, including the Cologne Central Mosque run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs. In 2011, about 11.2% of the population was Muslim. Cologne also has one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in Germany. In 2011, 0.3% of Cologne's population was Jewish. ==Government and politics==

The city's administration is headed by the mayor and the three deputy mayors. Political traditions and developments The long tradition of a free imperial city, which long dominated an exclusively Catholic population and the age-old conflict between the church and the bourgeoisie (and within it between the patricians and craftsmen) have created its own political climate in Cologne. Various interest groups often form networks beyond party boundaries. The resulting web of relationships, with political, economic, and cultural links with each other in a system of mutual favours, obligations and dependencies, is called the 'Cologne coterie'. This has often led to an unusual proportional distribution in the city government and degenerated at times into corruption: in 1999, a "waste scandal" over kickbacks and illegal campaign contributions came to light, which led not only to the imprisonment of the entrepreneur Hellmut Trienekens, but also to the downfall of almost the entire leadership of the ruling Social Democrats. Mayor The incumbent Lord Mayor of Cologne is Torsten Burmester of the SPD. He received 53.51% of the vote at the runoff election. The most recent mayoral election was held on 14 September 2025, with a runoff held on 28 September, and the results were as follows: City council The Cologne city council (Kölner Stadtrat) governs the city alongside the mayor. It serves a term of five years. The most recent city council election was held on 14 September 2025, and the results were as follows: State Landtag in Cologne In the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne is divided among seven constituencies. After the 2022 North Rhine-Westphalia state election, the composition and representation of each was as follows: Federal parliament In the Bundestag, Cologne is divided among four constituencies. In the 21st Bundestag, elected 23 February 2025, the composition and representation of each was as follows: ==Cityscape==

The inner city of Cologne was largely destroyed during World War II. The reconstruction of the city followed the style of the 1950s, while respecting the old layout and naming of the streets. Thus, the city centre today is characterized by modern architecture, with a few interspersed pre-war buildings which were reconstructed due to their historical importance. Some buildings of the "Wiederaufbauzeit" (era of reconstruction), for example, the opera house by Wilhelm Riphahn, are nowadays regarded as classics of modern architecture. Nevertheless, the uncompromising style of the Cologne Opera house and other modern buildings has remained controversial. The districts outside the city center consist mostly of 19th and 20th century buildings. File:Kemmerlingshof, Köln-Junkersdorf Dürener Str 437.jpg|Junkersdorf old town File:Köln Bayenthalgürtel 9.jpg|Art Nouveau villa on Bayenthal-gürtel File:Neptunbad, Köln-Ehrenfeld-8466.jpg|Gründerzeit building in Ehrenfeld, Cologne File:Hansahochhaus Köln - Gesamtansicht (0308-10).jpg|Hansahochhaus, a building in the style of Brick Expressionism ==Wildlife==

The dominant wildlife of Cologne is insects, small rodents, and several species of birds. Pigeons are the most often seen animals in Cologne, although the number of birds is augmented each year by a growing population of feral exotics, most visibly parrots such as the rose-ringed parakeet. The sheltered climate in southeast North Rhine-Westphalia allows these birds to survive through the winter, and in some cases, they are displacing native species. The plumage of Cologne's green parrots is highly visible even from a distance, and contrasts starkly with the otherwise muted colours of the cityscape. Hedgehogs, rabbits and squirrels are common in parks and the greener parts of town. In the outer suburbs foxes and wild boar can be seen, even during the day. ==Tourism==

Cologne had 5.8 million overnight stays booked and 3.35 million arrivals in 2016. Landmarks Churches • Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom) is the city's most famous monument and the Cologne residents' most loved landmark. It is a Gothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. In 1996, it was designated a World Heritage Site; it houses the Shrine of the Three Kings, which supposedly contains the relics of the Three Magi (see also). Residents of Cologne sometimes refer to the cathedral as "the eternal construction site" (die ewige Baustelle). • Twelve Romanesque churches: These buildings are outstanding examples of early medieval church architecture. The origins of some of these churches go back as far as Roman times. St. Gereon, for example, was originally a huge mausoleum in a Roman graveyard, and St. Maria im Kapitol was built on the substructure of a Roman temple. Great St. Martin Church stands on the site of Roman warehouses and previously a sports field with a swimming pool, the walls of which can be seen in the basement of the church. With the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen all of these churches were very badly damaged during World War II. Reconstructions of the last ones were only finished in the 1990s. Kdom.jpg|Cologne Cathedral Cologne, Germany. Basilica of St. Gereon.jpg|St. Gereon's Basilica Köln st maria im kapitol dreikonchenanlage 251204.jpg|St. Maria im Kapitol Köln - Groß St. Martin vom Dom.jpg|Great St. Martin Church Severeinskirche aus Severinstorburg 2009.jpg|Basilica of St. Severin Koeln mariae himmelfahrt 001.jpg|Church of the Assumption Trinitatiskirche Koeln2007.jpg|Trinity Church Medieval houses The Cologne City Hall (Kölner Rathaus), founded in the 12th century, is the oldest city hall in Germany still in use. The Renaissance-style loggia and tower were added in the 15th century. Other famous buildings include the Gürzenich, Haus Saaleck and the Overstolzenhaus. File:Keoln Maerz 2009 PD 20090327 028.JPG|Cologne City Hall File:Köln gürzenich.jpg|Gürzenich File:Overstolzenhaus-Rheingasse-Köln.JPG|Overstolzenhaus Medieval city gates Of the twelve medieval city gates that once existed, only the Eigelsteintorburg at Ebertplatz, the Hahnentor at Rudolfplatz and the Severinstorburg at Chlodwigplatz still stand today. File:Köln eigelsteintorburg.jpg|Eigelsteintor File:Hahnentorburg.jpg|Hahnentor File:Severinstorburg Köln-0410.jpg|Severinstor Streets • The Cologne Ring boulevards (such as Hohenzollernring, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring, Hansaring) with their medieval city gates (such as Hahnentorburg on Rudolfplatz) are also known for their night life. • Hohe Straße (literally: High Street) is one of the main shopping areas and extends past the cathedral in an approximately southerly direction. The street contains many gift shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants and electronic goods dealers. • Schildergasse – connects Neumarkt square at its western end to the Hohe Strasse shopping street at its eastern end and has been named the busiest shopping street in Europe with 13,000 people passing through every hour, according to a 2008 study by GfK. • Ehrenstraße – the shopping area around Apostelnstrasse, Ehrenstrasse, and Rudolfplatz is a little more on the quirky and stylish side. Bridges Several bridges cross the Rhine in Cologne. They are (from south to north): the Rodenkirchen Bridge, South Bridge (railway), Severin Bridge, Deutz Bridge, Hohenzollern Bridge (railway), (Zoobrücke) and Mülheim Bridge. In particular the iron tied arch Hohenzollern Bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke) is a dominant landmark along the river embankment. A Rhine crossing of a special kind is provided by the Cologne Cable Car (German: Kölner Seilbahn), a cableway that runs across the river between the Cologne Zoological Garden in Riehl and the Rheinpark in Deutz. High-rise structures Cologne's tallest structure is the Colonius telecommunication tower at . The observation deck has been closed since 1992. A selection of the tallest buildings in Cologne is listed below. Other tall structures include the Hansahochhaus (designed by architect Jacob Koerfer and completed in 1925 – it was at one time Europe's tallest office building), the Kranhaus buildings at Rheinauhafen, and the Messeturm Köln ("trade fair tower"). ==Culture==

museum in 2007, designed by Peter Zumthor '', a limestone sculpture by Nikolaus Friedrich, 1911 Cologne has numerous museums. The famous Roman-Germanic Museum features art and architecture from the city's distant past; the Museum Ludwig houses one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe, including a Picasso collection matched only by the museums in Barcelona and Paris. The Museum Schnütgen of religious art is partly housed in St. Cecilia, one of Cologne's Twelve Romanesque churches. Many art galleries in Cologne enjoy a worldwide reputation like e.g. Galerie Karsten Greve, one of the leading galleries for postwar and contemporary art. Cologne has more than 60 music venues and the third-highest density of music venues of Germany's four largest cities, after Munich and Hamburg and ahead of Berlin. Several orchestras are active in the city, among them the Gürzenich Orchestra, which is also the orchestra of the Cologne Opera and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German State Radio Orchestra), both based at the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra Building (Kölner Philharmonie). Other orchestras are the Musica Antiqua Köln, the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln and WDR Big Band, and several choirs, including the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Cologne was also an important hotbed for electronic music in the 1950s (Studio für elektronische Musik, Karlheinz Stockhausen) and again from the 1990s onward. The public radio and TV station WDR was involved in promoting musical movements such as Krautrock in the 1970s; the influential Can was formed there in 1968. There are several centres of nightlife, among them the Kwartier Latäng (the student quarter around the Zülpicher Straße) and the nightclub-studded areas around Hohenzollernring, Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz. The large annual literary festival with its features regional and international authors. The main literary figure connected with Cologne is the writer Heinrich Böll, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Since 2012, there is also an annual international festival of philosophy called . The city also has the most pubs per capita in Germany. Cologne is well known for its beer, called Kölsch. Kölsch is also the name of the local dialect. This has led to the common joke of Kölsch being the only language one can drink. Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne (German: Kölnisch Wasser; lit: "Water of Cologne"), a perfume created by Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina at the beginning of the 18th century. During the 18th century, this perfume became increasingly popular, was exported all over Europe by the Farina family and Farina became a household name for Eau de Cologne. In 1803 Wilhelm Mülhens entered into a contract with an unrelated person from Italy named Carlo Francesco Farina who granted him the right to use his family name and Mühlens opened a small factory at Cologne's Glockengasse. In later years, and after various court battles, his grandson Ferdinand Mülhens was forced to abandon the name Farina for the company and their product. He decided to use the house number given to the factory at Glockengasse during the French occupation in the early 19th century, 4711. Today, original Eau de Cologne is still produced in Cologne by both the Farina family, in the eighth generation, and by Mäurer & Wirtz who bought the 4711 brand in 2006. Carnival The Cologne carnival is one of the largest street festivals in Europe. In Cologne, the carnival season officially starts on 11 November at 11 minutes past 11 a.m. with the proclamation of the new Carnival Season, and continues until Ash Wednesday. However, the so-called "Tolle Tage" (crazy days) do not start until Weiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival) or, in dialect, Wieverfastelovend, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the street carnival. Zülpicher Strasse and its surroundings, Neumarkt square, Heumarkt and all bars and pubs in the city are crowded with people in costumes dancing and drinking in the streets. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Cologne during this time. Generally, around a million people celebrate in the streets on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Cuisine Cologne is shaped by a long culinary tradition that has been enriched with imported and sometimes exotic elements. Because of its prominent role in international trade, the local cuisine incorporated herring, mussels, and many spices very early on. In the Middle Ages, when salmon (usually called Salm in Cologne) and allis shad (Maifisch) were still abundant in the Rhine, these fish were considered poor people’s food, while herring was very popular in bourgeois households. The Rhenish herring salad (Heringsstipp) with apples, onions, and cream still bears witness to this tradition. Mussels “Rhenish style” are now a staple of local gastronomy. As is typical in the Rhineland, sweet and savory flavors are often combined. The fertile soil and favorable climate also make vegetables a major part of Cologne’s cuisine. A sweet-and-sour specialty is Rheinischer Sauerbraten (Rhenish pot roast), which was originally made with horse meat, as well as the simpler Himmel un Ääd (Heaven and Earth)—a mix of mashed potatoes and apple sauce—served with fried blood sausage (Flönz). Savoy cabbage and asparagus are also commonly offered as seasonal vegetables. A special role in Cologne is played by the Brauhäuser (brewpubs). These establishments were originally created for serving beer from Cologne’s breweries but have since become key venues for traditional, hearty cuisine. In addition to the dishes mentioned, one can find filling meals such as Krüstchen (breaded pork cutlet with egg), Eisbein (“Hämchen”, boiled pork knuckle), Hachse (roasted pork knuckle), and potato pancakes (Reibekuchen or Rievkooche). Because they require considerable preparation, the latter are often available only on certain days. Popular accompaniments to Kölsch—the local beer, served fresh from the barrel in these brewpubs—include steak tartare (Tatar), blood sausage (Flönz), or Halver Hahn (a rye roll with cheese and mustard). Local pastry specialties include Mutze, Muzemandeln, and doughnuts (Krapfen), along with a wide variety of open and covered cakes, most commonly topped with apples or plums. Sweetening is sometimes done with sugar beet syrup (Rübenkraut), which is also used as a bread spread. Rivalry with Düsseldorf Cologne and Düsseldorf have a "fierce regional rivalry", which includes carnival parades, ice hockey, football, and beer. Museums . in Cologne: Dionysus Mosaic on display at Römisch-Germanisches Museum • Farina Fragrance Museum – birthplace of Eau de Cologne • Römisch-Germanisches Museum (Roman-Germanic Museum) – ancient Roman and Germanic culture • Wallraf-Richartz Museum – European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century • Museum Ludwig – modern art • Museum Schnütgen – medieval art • Museum für Angewandte Kunst – applied art • Kolumba Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln (art museum of the Archbishopric of Cologne) – modern art museum built around medieval ruins of St. Kolumba, Cologne, completed 2007 • Cathedral Treasury "Domschatzkammer" – historic underground vaults of the Cathedral • EL-DE Haus – former local headquarters of the Gestapo houses a museum documenting Nazi rule in Cologne with a special focus on the persecution of political dissenters and minorities • German Sports and Olympic Museum – exhibitions about sports from antiquity until the present • Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum – Chocolate Museum • Geomuseum of the University of Cologne – the exhibition includes fossils (such as dinosaur bones and the skeleton of an Eryops), stones and minerals • Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art – collections of Internet-based art, corporate part of (NewMediaArtProjectNetwork):cologne, the experimental platform for art and New Media • Flora und Botanischer Garten Köln – the city's formal park and main botanical garden • Forstbotanischer Garten Köln – an arboretum and woodland botanical garden Music fairs and festivals The city was home to the internationally famous Ringfest, and now to the C/o pop festival. In addition, Cologne enjoys a thriving Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) presence with several locations in the city. ==Economy==

, 2008 , EA Games headquarters As the largest city in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, Cologne benefits from a large market structure. In competition with Düsseldorf, the economy of Cologne is primarily based on insurance and media industries, while the city is also an important cultural and research centre and home to a number of corporate headquarters. Among the largest media companies based in Cologne are Westdeutscher Rundfunk, RTL Television (with subsidiaries), n-tv, Deutschlandradio, Brainpool TV and publishing houses like J. P. Bachem, Taschen, Tandem Verlag, and M. DuMont Schauberg. Several clusters of media, arts and communications agencies, TV production studios, and state agencies work partly with private and government-funded cultural institutions. Among the insurance companies based in Cologne are Central, DEVK, DKV, Generali Deutschland, Gen Re, Gothaer, HDI Gerling and national headquarters of Axa Insurance, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group and Zurich Financial Services. The German flag carrier Lufthansa and its subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine have their main corporate headquarters in Cologne. The largest employer in Cologne is Ford Europe, which has its European headquarters and a factory in Niehl (Ford-Werke GmbH). Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), Toyota's official motorsports team, responsible for Toyota rally cars, and then Formula One cars, has its headquarters and workshops in Cologne. Other large companies based in Cologne include the REWE Group, TÜV Rheinland, Deutz AG and a number of Kölsch breweries. The largest three Kölsch breweries of Cologne are Reissdorf, Gaffel, and Früh. Historically, Cologne has always been an important trade city, with land, air, and sea connections. Cologne has also become the first German city with a population of more than a million people to declare climate emergency. ==Transport==

Roads Road building had been a major issue in the 1920s under the leadership of mayor Konrad Adenauer. The first German limited-access road was constructed after 1929 between Cologne and Bonn. Today, this is the Bundesautobahn 555. In 1965, Cologne became the first German city to be fully encircled by a motorway ring road. Roughly at the same time, a city centre bypass (Stadtautobahn) was planned, but only partially put into effect, due to opposition by environmental groups. The completed section became Bundesstraße ("Federal Road") B 55a, which begins at the Zoobrücke ("Zoo Bridge") and meets with A 4 and A 3 at the interchange Cologne East. Nevertheless, it is referred to as Stadtautobahn by most locals. In contrast to this, the Nord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive") was actually completed, a new four/six-lane city centre through-route, which had already been anticipated by planners such as Fritz Schumacher in the 1920s. The last section south of Ebertplatz was completed in 1972. In 2005, the first stretch of an eight-lane motorway in North Rhine-Westphalia was opened to traffic on Bundesautobahn 3, part of the eastern section of the Cologne Beltway between the interchanges Cologne East and Heumar. Cycling Compared to other German cities, Cologne has a traffic layout that is not very bicycle-friendly. It has repeatedly ranked among the worst in an independent evaluation conducted by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club. In 2014, it ranked 36th out of 39 German cities with a population greater than 200,000. Railway Cologne has a railway service with InterCity and ICE-trains stopping at Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Main Station), Köln Messe/Deutz and Cologne/Bonn Airport. ICE and TGV Thalys high-speed trains link Cologne with Amsterdam, Brussels (in 1h47, 9 departures/day) and Paris (in 3h14, 6 departures/day). There are frequent ICE trains to other German cities, including Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. ICE trains to London via the Channel Tunnel were planned for 2013. The Cologne Stadtbahn operated by Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) is an extensive light rail system that is partially underground and serves Cologne and a number of neighbouring cities. It evolved from the tram system. Nearby Bonn is linked by both the Stadtbahn and main line railway trains, with occasional recreational boats on the Rhine. Düsseldorf is also linked by S-Bahn trains, which are operated by . The Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn has 5 lines which cross Cologne. The S13/S19 runs 24/7 between Cologne Hbf and Cologne/Bonn airport. Buses There are frequent buses covering most of the city and surrounding suburbs. Long distance buses are offered by FlixBus. Water Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (Ports and Goods traffic Cologne, HGK) is one of the largest operators of inland ports in Germany. Ports include Köln-Deutz, Köln-Godorf and Köln-Niehl I and II. Air Cologne's international airport is Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN). It is also called Konrad Adenauer Airport after Germany's first post-war Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who was born in the city and was mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933. The airport is shared with the neighbouring city of Bonn. Cologne is headquarters to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). ==Education==

Cologne is home to numerous universities and colleges, and host to some 72,000 students. Foreigners can have German lessons in the VHS (Adult Education Centre). Lauder Morijah School (), a Jewish school in Cologne, previously closed. After Russian immigration increased the Jewish population, the school reopened in 2002. ==Media==

Cologne, alongside Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, is one of Germany’s largest and most important centers for mass media, employing around 30,000 to 40,000 people in this sector. The city’s media landscape is highly diverse: in addition to major television and radio broadcasters and large publishing houses, a well-developed supporting industry has emerged in Cologne, encompassing a wide range of businesses—from agencies and production companies to technical service providers and equipment suppliers. The city is "Germany's capital of TV crime stories". A third of all German TV productions are made in the Cologne region. Radio, television, and music industry The public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Germany’s largest ARD broadcasting institution and the country’s biggest broadcaster overall, employs around 3,500 people at its headquarters in Cologne. WDR operates television channels such as WDR Fernsehen and one, as well as several radio stations, including 1LIVE and COSMO. The nationwide public broadcaster Deutschlandradio also transmits from its Cologne headquarters, home to Deutschlandfunk (Dlf) and Deutschlandfunk Nova. In addition, the Beitragsservice (formerly GEZ, the public broadcasting fee collection service) is based in Cologne. RTL Deutschland, Europe’s largest private television company—with channels such as RTL Television, VOX, Super RTL, Nitro, and several specialized stations—has its headquarters in the Rheinhallen complex. The country’s first all-news channel, n-tv, also belongs to RTL Deutschland and operates its main broadcast center in Cologne. Other radio stations based in the city include Domradio and Radio Köln, which is part of Radio NRW. The private broadcasters bigFM and RPR1 maintain studios in the Capitol building. Cologne also hosts Kölncampus, its own campus radio station. The most successful German music television channel, VIVA, was founded in Cologne in 1993 as VIVA Media. From the cathedral city, it broadcast its main program until 2005, along with VIVA Zwei. After being acquired by MTV’s parent company Viacom, VIVA was relocated to Berlin and later discontinued. From October 2005 to December 2014, center.tv broadcast daily programs exclusively about life in and around Cologne. From January 2015 to March 2016, the channel continued under the new name Köln.tv. The international broadcaster Deutsche Welle was also based in Cologne until its move to Bonn in 2003. The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) operated from the Marienburg district between January 1954 and October 1990. The record label EMI Music Germany, which moved its headquarters from Cologne-Braunsfeld to the MediaPark in August 2000 and later to Cologne-Bickendorf, was acquired by Universal Music in 2011. As a result, only the local Kölsch-language label Rhingtön remained in Cologne. Several smaller record labels and music publishers are also located in the city. Print media Cologne is home to the publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg, one of Germany’s most influential newspaper publishers. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and the Kölnische Rundschau, both printed there, cover Cologne, its metropolitan area, and extend into the Eifel and Bergisches Land regions. The tabloid Express, produced by the same publisher, is also distributed in the Düsseldorf area. Business magazines such as Capital and Impulse are also published in Cologne. Local monthly city magazines like StadtRevue, Kölner, and the Kölner Wochenspiegel—published by Kölner Anzeigenblatt GmbH & Co. KG—play an important role in the local press landscape. Internationally active publishing houses based in Cologne include Taschen and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, both known for their focus on art, architecture, and erotica. The city also hosts major literary publishers such as Kiepenheuer & Witsch and DuMont Buchverlag. Founded in 1918, the subreport Verlag Schawe has been based in Cologne since its inception. The Lübbe publishing group, one of Germany’s largest book publishers, relocated from Bergisch Gladbach to Cologne-Mülheim in 2010. Institutions and locations A prominent media site in Cologne is the MediaPark, located near Hansaring in the city center. Built between 1992 and 2003 on the grounds of the former Gereon railway yard, it covers 20 hectares and provides 174,000 m² of office space. Among its modern buildings, including the 148-meter-high KölnTurm, around 250 companies with approximately 5,000 employees are based—about 60% of them working in the media and communications sector. Key media institutions in Cologne include the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln), the International Film School Cologne (IFS Köln), and the GAG Academy for aspiring comedians. The city is also home to the Film Office of North Rhine-Westphalia (Filmbüro NRW). Many small film production companies, especially in the Belgian Quarter, provide services and equipment to larger production firms. Large-scale studios and production facilities, which require more space, are located on the city’s outskirts—such as the WDR studios in Bocklemünd or the media center in Mülheim. Around the E-Werk, a major event hall on a former industrial site, many artists, agencies, and several television studios have established themselves; productions for channels like Sat.1 and ProSieben take place there. In the northwest of the city, the Coloneum—one of Europe’s largest studio complexes with a usable area of 157,000 m²—is located on the grounds of the former Butzweilerhof airfield. In the southwest, between Cologne and Hürth, large studio complexes for Nobeo and MMC were built, where numerous shows for Sat.1 and RTL are produced, including those by the production company action concept. ==Sports==

Cologne hosts the football club 1. FC Köln, who play currently in the Bundesliga after being promoted from the second division in 2025. They play their home matches in RheinEnergieStadion which also hosted five matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The International Olympic Committee and the International Association of Sports and Leisure Facilities gave RheinEnergieStadion a bronze medal for "being one of the best sporting venues in the world". The city also hosts the two football clubs FC Viktoria Köln and SC Fortuna Köln, who play in the 3. Liga (third division) and the Regionalliga West (fourth division) respectively. Cologne's oldest football club 1. FSV Köln 1899 is playing with its amateur team in the Verbandsliga (sixth division). Cologne also is home of the ice hockey team Kölner Haie, which is playing in the highest ice hockey league in Germany, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They are based at Lanxess Arena. Several horse races per year are held at Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse since 1897, the annual Cologne Marathon was started in 1997 and the classic cycling race Rund um Köln is organised in Cologne since 1908. The city also has a long tradition in rowing, being home of some of Germany's oldest regatta courses and boat clubs, such as the Kölner Rudergesellschaft 1891 or the Kölner Ruderverein von 1877 in the Rodenkirchen district. Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota has their major motorsport facility known by the name Toyota Motorsport GmbH, which is located in the Marsdorf district, and is responsible for Toyota's major motorsport development and operations, which in the past included the FIA Formula One World Championship, the FIA World Rally Championship and the Le Mans Series. They are working on Toyota's team Toyota Gazoo Racing which competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Cologne is considered "the secret golf capital of Germany". The first golf club in North Rhine-Westphalia was founded in Cologne in 1906. The city offers the most options and top events in Germany. The city has hosted several sports events which includes the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2007 World Men's Handball Championship, 2010 and 2017 Ice Hockey World Championships, 2024 FIFA European Championship and 2010 Gay Games. Since 2014, the city has hosted ESL One Cologne, one of the biggest Counter-Strike tournaments held annually in July/August at Lanxess Arena. Furthermore, Cologne is home of the Sport-Club Colonia 1906, Germany's oldest boxing club, and the Kölner Athleten-Club 1882, the world's oldest active weightlifting club. ==Notable people==

• Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), composer • Jean Bugatti (1909–1939), automotive designer and test engineer • Heinrich Böll (1917–1985), German Writer, Nobel Prize for Literature 1972 • Paul-Jürgen Weber (born 1942), visual artist and photographer • Udo Kier (born 1944), German actor • Wolfgang Voigt (born 1961), DJ and producer • Markus N. Beeko (born 1967), human rights activist • Angela Gossow (born 1974), German singer, former lead singer for Arch Enemy • Nils Politt (born 1994), professional cyclist • Leon Draisaitl (born 1995), ice hockey player • Marie Reim (born 2000), singer • Justin Diehl (born 2004), professional footballer • Mathilda Paatz (born 2008), racing driver ==Twin towns – sister cities==

Cologne is twinned with: • Barcelona, Spain (1984) • Beijing, China (1987) • Bethlehem, Palestine (1996) • Cluj-Napoca, Romania (1976) • Corinto, Nicaragua (1988) • Cork, Ireland (1988) • Dnipro, Ukraine (2024) • Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (1958) • Indianapolis, United States (1988) • Istanbul, Turkey (1997) • Katowice, Poland (1991) • Kyoto, Japan (1963) • Liège, Belgium (1958) • Lille, France (1958) • Liverpool, England (1952) • Neukölln (Berlin), Germany (1967) • El Realejo, Nicaragua (1988) • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011) • Rotterdam, Netherlands (1958) • Tel Aviv, Israel (1979) • Thessaloniki, Greece (1988) • Treptow-Köpenick (Berlin), Germany (1990) • Tunis, Tunisia (1964) • Turin, Italy (1958) • Turku, Finland (1967) Former twin towns • Volgograd, Russia (1988) - suspended in 2022 ==See also==