Cologne

The city of Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany and thus the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has a 2000-year history and is famous for its cultural and architectural heritage and for its internationally important events.

In addition to being the seat of secular and ecclesiastical power, Cologne was also important because of its location on the Rhine and as the intersection of important west-east trade routes. The city thus became an important trading location. Today, Cologne is a transport hub with the highest volume of rail traffic and the Eifeltor, the largest container and transhipment station in Germany. The Rhine port is one of the most important inland ports in Europe.

As a business and cultural metropolis, Cologne is of international importance. The city is considered one of the leading centers for the global art trade. In addition, Cologne is a carnival stronghold with the headquarters of many associations and media metropolises with many television stations, record companies and publishing houses. With 16,500 students, Cologne has the largest technical college in Germany and the university with over 43,000 students is one of the largest in Germany.

Culture and Sights

In the Middle Ages, Cologne became an important ecclesiastical and important artistic, educational center.

Cologne Cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. It houses the Epiphany Shrine, where the relics of the Three Kings are kept. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1996, Cologne Cathedral is the city`s main landmark. Today, Cologne is a cultural metropolis with many important museums, galleries, art fairs and a vibrant art and music scene.

Numerous theaters are based in Cologne. The city is responsible for the "Cologne City Stages" with a theater and an opera house (founded in 1822). Other well-known stages include the Arkadas Theater, Artheater, Atelier Theater, Casamax Theater, Cassiopeia Theater, Comedia, Freies Werkstatt Theater and the Gloria Theater.

In Cologne you will find numerous museums with top-class collections, in particular the Museum Ludwig (modern and contemporary art), the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century) and the Roman-Germanic Museum (art, jewelery and everyday objects from the Roman and Merovingian periods).

Other numerous Cologne museums and exhibition institutes are:

• Imhoff Stollwerck Museum(Chocolate Museum)
• Agfa Photo Historama
• Diocesan Museum Cologne
• German Sports and Olympic Museum
• Monetary History Museum
• Fragrance Museum in the Farina House
• Käthe Kollwitz Museum
• Kölnischer Kunstverein (contemporary art)
• Cologne City Museum (City History)
• Museum of Applied Arts

Geographical location and climate

The district extends over 405.15 km², which makes Cologne the third largest city in Germany in terms of area.

From an agricultural point of view, Cologne is located on the Lower Rhine in the Cologne Bay. This is the geographic name for the Cologne region. The city belongs climatically to the north-west German lowlands and is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Cologne has a mild climate, with daily and annual temperature fluctuations being small and precipitation being distributed relatively evenly throughout the year.