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Sightseeing

Cologne was built on ground that is steeped in history. Numerous cultural monuments from the past 2000 years, such as the famous Roman Dionysus mosaic, the medieval Overstolzenhaus and the Gürzenich Hall, as well as modern structures such as the opera house (1957) and the Media Park (from 1989 onwards) are found in this city. Take a trip through 2000 years of history and visit cultural monuments from the Roman Empire to modern times.

Cologne Cathedral

The Cologne Cathedral "Kölner Dom" is one of the architectural masterpieces of mankind. Declared a World Cultural Heritage Site as a perfect example of Gothic construction, the Cologne Cathedral is the symbol of the metropolis on the Rhine. And with about six million visitors a year, Germany's largest Cathedral is also the country's most popular architectural monument. Its size is emphasized by a gigantic pair of towers that dominated the city panorama since their completion in 1880. Still today, the Cathedral is the highest building after the telecommunications tower. Read more

Romanic Churches

The twelve Romanic churches are amongst the cultural highlights of Cologne, alongside the Cathedral and the museums. These buildings are outstanding examples of medieval church architecture. The origins of some of the churches go back as far as Roman times, for example St. Gereon, which was originally a chapel in a Roman graveyard. With the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen all of these churches were very badly damaged during World War II. Reconstruction was only finished in the 1990s. Read more

The Old Town

During World War II approximately 72 percent of the city area of Cologne was destroyed. The city centre, full of rubble, resembled a horrible battlefield - the picturesque part of the Old Town was destroyed nearly completely and had to be rebuild in drudgingly precious work. Read more

Medieval Cologne

With the Severinstor, the Eigelsteintor and the Hahnentor, three of the total of twelve city gates from the mediaeval city fortifications (1180 - 1220) have been preserved and are still used today for various purposes. The city hall was built in 1330, with the Renaissance arcade. Read more

Roman Cologne

The Römisch-Germanisches Museum gives an impressive account of the history of the Romans along the Rhine. The foundations of the residence of the city's Roman governor were uncovered under the Rathaus (city hall) and the Roman Tower is an excellent example for the Roman fortifications. Read more

Modern Cologne

Rheinauhafen

The Rheinauhafen with it's extraordinary "crane houses" represents the modern side of Cologne. But there are also the Rheinparkhallen, the Arena, the Weltstadthaus and much more impressive monuments. Read more

Guided Tours

One of the best ways to get to know Cologne is a guided Tour. Here, you can not only choose from a variety of themes, but also from different types, e.g. a classical Group Tour, a City Bus Tour Hop-on-Hop-Off or via Boat! Read more
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Guided Tours