50°56N 6°58E, pop (2000e) 986 000. Manufacturing and commercial river port in Cologne district, W Germany, on W bank of R Rhine; capital of N Roman Empire (3rd-c); influential centre in Middle Ages; badly bombed in World War 2; major traffic junction and commercial centre, noted for its trade fairs; archbishopric; railway; university (1388); oil refining, chemicals, wine, foodstuffs, vehicles, machinery, cosmetics, perfumes, medicaments, tools; Gothic cathedral (begun 1248) is a world heritage site; Rhineland Carnival (Feb).
Coordinates: 50°57′N 6°58′E
| Cologne (Köln) | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Administrative region | Cologne |
| District | urban district |
| Population | 986,168 source (June 2006) |
| Area | 405.15 km² |
| Population density | 2,434 /km² |
| Elevation | 37-118 m |
| Coordinates | 50°57′ N 6°58′ E |
| Postal code | 50441-51149 |
| Area code | 0221 |
| Licence plate code | K |
| Mayor | Fritz Schramma (CDU) |
| Website | stadt-koeln.de |
Cologne (German: Köln (help·info) /kœln/;
Cologne lies at the River Rhine and the city's world famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is seat to a Roman Catholic Archdiocese, just as important to the city as its specially brewed Kölsch beer.
Cologne is the economic and cultural capital of the Rhineland and has a vibrant and thriving art scene. The city's Trade Fair Grounds are host to a number of trade shows such as the Art Cologne Fair, the International Furniture Fair (IMM) and the Photokina. Cologne is also well known for its celebration of Cologne Carnival and the Cologne Gay Pride events.
In 2005 Cologne hosted the 20th Roman Catholic World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI and one of the largest ever meetings of over a million participants.
Demographics
Cologne is the 4th most populous city in Germany, behind Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. As of June 30th 2006, Cologne's population was 986,168, using the German standard method of only counting persons whose primary residence (German: Hauptwohnsitz) was in the city. Notwithstanding, the city of Cologne also includes those with an auxiliary residence (German: Nebenwohnsitz), thus raising the figure to 1,023,101.
Administration
Cologne is incorporated under the rule of the Gemeindeordnung Nordrhein-Westfalen (GO NRW) (Municipality Code of North Rhine-Westphalia). Cologne is the only city in Germany with an explicit tax on prostitution which explains the city's relative open-mindedness towards sex businesses.
The Coat of Arms of Cologne
The three crowns symbolize the Magi or Three Kings whose bones are said to be kept in a golden sarcophagus in Cologne Cathedral (see Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral). In 1164, Cologne's archbishop Rainald of Dassel brought the relics to the city, making it a major pilgrimage destination.
The eleven flames are a reminder of Cologne's patron, St. Ursula, a Britannic princess, and her legendary 11,000 virgin companions who were supposedly martyred by Attila the Hun at Cologne for their Christian faith in 383 A.D.
Economy
Cologne plays a paramount role in Germany's television industry. Cologne is also home to the private broadcaster RTL, as well as a large number of smaller media, television and film production companies.
Cologne has a large gay community.
Cologne is well known for its beer, called Kölsch.
One of Cologne's largest companies is the European headquarters of the Ford Motor Company with large administrative, technical and production departments.
Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne. At the beginning of the 18th century, Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina (1685-1766) created a new fragrance and named it after his hometown Cologne, Eau de Cologne (Water from Cologne). Eventually, Cologne merchant Wilhelm Mülhens secured the name Farina, which at that time had become a household name for Eau de Cologne, under contract and opened a small factory at Cologne's Glockengasse. Today, original Eau de Cologne (German: Kölnisch Wasser) still is produced in Cologne by both the Farina family (Farina gegenüber since 1709), currently in the eighth generation, and by Procter &
History
Main article: History of Cologne
Roman Cologne
The first urban settlement on the grounds of what today is the center of Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum, which was founded in 38 B.C. Cologne became acknowledged as a city by the Romans in 50 A.D.
Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313 was the first known bishop of Cologne. In 785, Cologne became the seat of an archbishop.
Middle Ages
During the time of the Holy Roman Empire the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven Electors and one of the three ecclesiastical electors. He ruled a large area as a secular lord in the Middle Ages, but in 1288 he was defeated in the battle of Worringen by the Cologne citizens and forced to move to Bonn. Cologne's location at the intersection of the river Rhine with one of the major trade routes between East and West was the basis of Cologne's growth. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League and became an Imperial Free City officially in 1475.
Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an outstanding 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 in fact had been captured from Milano).
The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterized by the town's status as a major harbour and transportation hub upon the Rhine.
As a free city Cologne was an estate within the Holy Roman Empire and as such had the right (and obligation) of maintaining its own military force. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the Rote Funken .
The free city of Cologne must not be confused with the Archbishops of Cologne. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops usually were not allowed to enter the town. 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 century, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire.
19th and 20th century
Cologne lost its status as a free city during the French period. According to the Peace 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 already had occupied Cologne in 1798). Cologne was part of the French Département Roer (named after the River Roer, German: Rur) with Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital.
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 Protestants and Catholics ("Mischehenstreit"). 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 nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Cologne incorporated numerous surrounding towns, and by the time of World War I had already grown to 600,000 inhabitants. On the other side Cologne was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of Verdun and Liège) with two fortified belts surrounding the town, the relics of which can be seen until today.
After WWI, during which several minor air raids had targeted the city, Cologne was occupied by British Forces under the terms of the armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty. The mayor of Cologne (the future West German chancellor) Konrad Adenauer paid them respect for their political significance, as the British withstood the French ambitions for a permanent Allied occupation of the Rhineland. The era of the Weimar Republic (1919 - 1933) rendered very prolific for Cologne. By the end of the British occupation German civil aviation was readmitted over Cologne and the airport of Butzweilerhof soon became an outstanding hub of national and international air traffic, second in Germany only to Berlin-Tempelhof. Compared to other major cities the Nazis didn't gain decisive support in Cologne and the votes casted for the NSDAP at the election for the Reichstag always accounted below the average result of the Reich.
In World War II, Cologne endured exactly 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and completely wiped out the centre of the city. During the
night of May 31, 1942, Cologne was the site of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne was
reduced by 95%. At the end of 1945, the population had already risen to about 500,000 again.
By that time, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 20,000 had been annihilated.
Post-war Cologne
Despite Cologne's being the largest city in the region nearby Düsseldorf was chosen as the political capital of the newly set-up Federal State Nordrhein-Westfalen. With Bonn being chosen as the capital (German: Bundeshauptstadt) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between the two important political centres of former West Germany.
For Cologne mayors refer to: List of mayors of Cologne.
In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of debris".
In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered from two factors: First, the steady growth in the number of media companies, pertaining to both the private and the public sector. Catering especially to these companies is the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strongly visual focal point in downtown Cologne and includes the KölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent high-rises. And second, a permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which makes 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.
Landmarks
The centre of Cologne was completely destroyed during World War II. It is interesting to note, that the residents of Cologne call the cathedral "the eternal construction site". Fragrance-Museum Farina House, the birthplace of Eau de Cologne. Römisch-Germanisches Museum (English: Roman-Germanic Museum) Wallraf-Richartz Museum Museum Ludwig EL-DE Haus the former local headquarters of the Gestapo houses a museum documenting the Nazi rule in Cologne with a special focus on the prosecution of political dissenters and minorities. Kölner Philharmonie - the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra Building housing both the Gürzenich-Orchestra and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne. RheinEnergieStadion, the major Cologne stadium, primarily used for football games, seating 50,997 visitors in national games and 46,134 in international games, home to the local 2. Kölnarena, a multifunctional event hall, home to the local ice hockey team, the Kölner Haie (English: Cologne Sharks). Kölnturm (English: Cologne Tower), Cologne's second tallest building at 150 metres in height, second only to the cathedral. The first German limited access highway was constructed after 1929 between Cologne and Bonn. In 1965 Cologne became the first German city to be fully encircled by a freeway belt. 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.
In 2005 the first stretch of an eight-lane freeway in North Rhine-Westphalia was opened to traffic on A 3, part of the eastern section of the freeway belt between the interchanges Cologne East and Heumar.
Public mass transportation
Cologne has Deutsche Bahn Service with Intercity and ICE-trains stopping at Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Central Station), Köln-Deutz station and at Cologne Bonn Airport (Konrad-Adenauer-Airport). The Cologne Stadtbahn (tram) operates an extensive light rail system (partially underground) serving Cologne and some neighbouring cities.
Air transport
Cologne's international airport is called Konrad-Adenauer-Flughafen. It is named after Germany's post-war Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who was born in Cologne and was also mayor of the city from 1917 until 1933.
Sister cities
This is a list of cities which are "cultural pen pals" of Cologne, as well as the year they first established this relationship.
| - Liverpool (United Kingdom), since 1952 - Lille (France), since 1958 - Liège (Belgium), since 1958 - Rotterdam (Netherlands), since 1958 - Turin (Italy), since 1958 - Kyoto (Japan), since 1963 - Tunis (Tunisia), since 1964 - Turku (Finland), since 1967 - Neukölln (Berlin), since 1967 - Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Israel), since 1979 |
- Barcelona (Spain), since 1984 - Beijing (People’s Republic of China), since 1987 - Thessaloniki (Greece), since 1988 - Cork (Ireland), since 1988 - Corinto / El Realejo (Nicaragua), since
1988 - Indianapolis (U.S.), since 1988 - Volgograd (Russia), since 1988 - Treptow-Köpenick (Berlin), since 1990 - Katowice (Poland), since 1991 - Bethlehem (West Bank), since 1996 -
İstanbul (Turkey), since 1997 - Cluj-Napoca (Romania), since 1999
unknown - Dunstable (United Kingdom), only Porz-Am-Rhein |
Born in Cologne
Famous people whose roots can be found in Cologne:
Adenauer, Konrad (January 5, 1876 - April 19, 1967), politician, Mayor of Cologne from 1917 to 1933 and German Chancellor between 1949 and 1963 Blum, Robert (November 10, 1807 - November 9, 1848), politician and martyr of the 19th century democratic movement in Germany Böll, Heinrich (December 21, 1917 - July 16, 1985), writer and winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1972 Calatrava, Alex (June 14, 1973), Spanish professional tennis player Ernst, Max (April 2, 1891 - April 1, 1976), artist Kier, Udo (born October 14, 1944), actor Lauterbach, Heiner (born April 10, 1953), actor Millowitsch, Willy (January 8, 1909 - September 20, 1999), actor and playwright Liebert, Ottmar (born February 1, 1961), musician Offenbach, Jacques (June 20, 1819 - October 5, 1880), composer Raab, Stefan Konrad (born October 20, 1966), entertainer and comedian Vondel, Joost van den (November 17, 1587 - February 5, 1679), poet and playwright Weimar, Robert (born May 13, 1932), legal scientist and psychologistOfficial information
City of Cologne, official City of Cologne page Cologne, Cologne information portal Kölner Dom, Cologne Cathedral's official website University of Cologne Churches of Cologne Cologne Museums Cologne Philharmonics Cologne ZooTourism and travel
Cologne Tourist Board Cologne Pictures by German Places Cologne Traffic Information Cologne Airport KVB - Cologne Public Transportation Photo Gallery Eau de Cologne Museum 20th World Youth Day 2005 Cologne City Map at stadtplan.net Cologne Zoo at Zoo-Infos.de (in English) 250 pictures with guide of Cologne's places of interest QuickTime and Java VR panoramic full screen views from Cologne Cologne travel guide from Wikitravel Dom WebCam Site with photos from CologneCulture and history
Academy for the Language of Cologne Rote Funken Viva Colonia: Cologne is Germany's strongest Carnival stronghold The Prussian fortress Cologne Soundmap of Cologne
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