Cologne (General)

Joy S
Joy S
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Editor Pick

Cologne or Köln

  • October 11, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
Köln, Germany’s third largest city isn’t very interesting to the tourist. It’s one grand sight, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and a couple museums, this is about it. The problem is that it was heavily bombed in WWII, and rebuilt in modern style rather than restoring the old city. There is little left of the old city outside a bunch of churches, which the Allies tried not to bomb. What little there is of the old city is along the river bank below St Martin’s Church.

The Cathedral, under construction for 600 years, is 478 ft. long from the front doors to the start of the Alter, and 143 ft. high. The 515 ft. high spire has an observation deck at 300 ft. - climb 500 stairs. The vast size of the building is best appreciated from the intersection of the transept and the nave. Note the inlaid flooring around the Alter area. The gold box– it took 39 years to craft– at the back of the Choir (Alter area) supposedly holds the bones of the three wise men.

Clearly off the tourist track, the men’s lobby restroom at the Hotel Dom on Dom Platz (cathedral square) is a high point, a must see for both sexes. If I describe it, it will ruin the surprise, so all I will say is you should stand as indicated by the feet outlined on the floor, facing the wall, and don’t miss it.

Shopping: There is a large shopping area along the pedestrian streets Hohestrasse & Schilder Gasse (two large enclosed malls). A couple blocks from Domplatz on Hohestr, the J. Henkles store had a clearance table with items less than half price – that beat Costco. Look for the 4711 perfume stores (one near J Henkles), the company that invented Eau de Cologne (translated from French: Cologne water).

Our tour took us along the river bank for the impressive view of the tower of St Martin’s church, built on what was then an island in the Rhine and then for an overly long visit to the Cathedral. Some of the time should have gone to a trip to the old city hall, a Gothic gem nearby. A section of the old Roman sewer raised from 30 ft. below modern ground level stands at the corner of the new town hall square, something our guide, standing across the street from it, did not point out.

WWII bombing devastated the city, and it was rebuilt in contemporary style rather than restoring the old buildings, with a few exceptions. Most of the surviving old buildings except churches are found along the river side park just below St Martin’s church. There are nice views of the old houses and the skyline from here and from the nearby bridge.

A couple museums near the Cathedral round out what there is to see in Koln today. The Chocolate Museum’s gift shop sells an incredible variety of chocolate concoctions.

From journal Cruising the Rhine and Mosel

Editor Pick

Things to do in Cologne

  • August 28, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Joy S from Manchester, United Kingdom
Things to do in Cologne

Cologne is a great city for just wandering and exploring as the fancy takes you. There are bars, restaurants, cafés and ice-cream parlours virtually everywhere, so there is always a nice place to stop when you need rest and refreshment.

Hohe Strasse is a pedestrianised shopping area - in fact it is one of the main shopping areas and extends past the cathedral. It is particularly popular with tourists and contains many gift shops, clothing stores and fast food restaurants.

The Alte Markt is pretty and when we were there, it bustled with tourists and locals. We stopped to admire the Town Hall and the other old buildings lining the square. The Marktbrunnen fountain is the impressive centrepiece. In December the Christmas Market takes place in this area.

Glockengasse 4711, home to the world's first internationally acclaimed brand of perfume is the most well-known address in Cologne. It is also an important landmark.

In 1792 a monk presented a young couple - the Muelhens - with a wedding gift, a recipe for "aqua mirabilis" later known as eau de cologne. Wilhelm Muelhens founded a company to produce Eau de Cologne in Glockengasse - the original building is still there.

In 1796 during the French occupation of Cologne, all buildings were ordered to be consecutively numbered. The Muelhens house was given the number 4711 - this was later registered as the company's trademark in 1875. In the showroom they have a variety of souvenirs to buy and an Eau de Cologne running fountain.

The Heumarkt, another square very close to our hotel, was where we ate on Saturday evening. It was really lively - lots of German hen and stag parties celebrating in a lively, but good natured and fun way. We even saw a cycling-bar travelling around. People sat around the bar and pedalled as they drank with music playing.

Later on in the evening there were different performers in the square here - we enjoyed watching Swiss men playing huge alpine horns, while two of their compatriots juggled and tossed Swiss flags in the air.

From journal A Weekend in Cologne

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