Cities in Germany: Cologne
Just 35 km south of Düsseldorf spread his eternal competitor and one of the most beautiful cities in Germany – Cologne (Köln, Cologne).
Founded by another Celts in time immemorial, his modern name he received in the Roman period, when the fortified settlement of OPPDiga-Urban receives the status of a colony (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, from where "reduced" and modern name).
It is necessary to visit the historical core of the city, where you can see the most visited landmark of Germany – the UNESCO World Heritage List (Kölner Dom, the full name – the Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God and St. Peter, 1248-1880.), Church of St. Geron (ST. Gereon, IV in. – The oldest in the city, originally served as a chapel at the Roman Cemetery), Saint Cecilia (ST. Caecilia, x in., Now there is a museum of medieval art), St. Martin (Gross Sankt Martin, 1150-1220.), St. Andrew (ST. Andreas, x in.), Holy Apostles (ST. Aposteln, XI in.), Sveti Severin (ST. SEVERIN, 900-1300 GG.), Saint Maria Capitol (ST. Maria Im Kapito, 1049-1065.), Holy Cunibert (ST. Kunibert, 1210-1247.), Saint Panteleimon (ST. Pantaleon, IX in.), Saint George (ST. Georg, XI in.), Saint Virgin Mary in Liscirchene (ST. Maria in Lyskirchen, 1190-1220., The only of the temples of the city, who retained its original frescoes of XIII in.), Saint Ursula (ST. Ursula, XII in.), The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ST. MARIÄ HIMMELFAHRT, 1618-1689.) and the Blessed Virgin Mary beyond the wall (ST. MARIA VOM FRIEDEN, 1642-1716.) – Cologne is not found to be considered the center of Catholicism of Germany. Also deserves the attention of the oldest mayor’s city in Germany – Kölner Rathaus (XI in.) on Hohe Strasse street.
From the once of powerful defensive buildings of the city, only three city gates are preserved – EiGelsteintorburg on Ebertplatz Square, Hahnentor on Rudolfplatz and Severinstorburg on ChlodWigplatz (all – XII-XV centuries.), and from the once richest urban building – just a couple of dozens of ancient mansions, the most famous of which is Overstolzenhaus house (1220 g.) On Rheingasse. But the ruins of the Roman period survived much more – among them the tower near the Cathedral and the ruins of Pretorium under the streets of the Old Town.
Well, lovers of art will find for themselves in Cologne literally everything that is possible – the city is the second in the world (after New York) Museum and Exhibition Center. The total number of all sorts of collections, galleries and art sites here is simply not amenable to account (approximately – more than 230, and this is not counting private collections!). The most significant are the Valraf Richarz Museum (Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud) – one of the largest picture galleries in Germany and the largest collection of medieval painting in the world lying literally in three quarters to the north of the Archaeological Roman-German Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Museum; Roncalliplatz, 4), located literally across the road from him Ludwig Museum (Museum Ludwig is one of the largest collections of contemporary art on the planet), the Museum of Medieval Art (Museum Schnütgen; Cäcilienstrasse, 29-33), Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts (Museum Für Angewandte Kunst, Makk) with minorite church on the tiny green area Kolpingplatz , Modern Diocesan Museum, or Columba (Diözesanmuseum, Kolumba) on the site of the former Church of St. Columba near the Roman-German Museum.
It is also worth visiting a separate exposition of Domschatzkammer in the dungeons of the Cologne Cathedral, the Nazi Museum (El-De Haus) in the former Gestapo headquarters on Appellhofplatz Square, the Museum of German Sports and the Olympic Museum on the Reynasbrühafen Peninsula (Rheinauhafen) under the Severinsbrücke Bridge, following the Hans Chocolate Museum IMHOFF-SCHOKOOLADENMUSEUM (IMHOFF-SCHOKOLADENMUSEUM) – one of the best of this kind in the world (almost 700 thousand visitors per year), museum and exhibition platform of modern and electronic art Javamuseum, museums of East Asian art, ethnographic, urban, beer and others.
Well, a completely unique phenomenon of urban cultural life is a perfume museum in the house of Farina (Duftmuseum IM Farina-Haus; Obenmarspforten, 21). Well-known word "cologne" happened from the French Eau de Cologne that translated means "Cologne water", As his inventor Johann Farina created his famous subsequently product here, in Cologne, in this house. Well, now the whole history of this legendary product, as well as many other interesting exhibits on the history of perfumery, are collected within the same collection and are available for study.
Shopping lovers will find a lot of interesting things on the famous streets Hohenzollernring, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring and Hansaring (they are often called simply "Cologne Ring"), at Hohe Strasse, Schildergasse and Neumarkt Square, as well as in the shopping area around Ehrenstrasse streets, Apostelnstrasse, Ehrenstrasse and Rudolfplatz Square.
Music lovers are unlikely to pass by Cologne Opera, and nature connoisseurs in nature will certainly appreciate one of the oldest in Germany with terrarium, as well as the Botanical Park (Flora und Botanischer Garten Köln, the area – 11.5 hectares) is almost the northern border of the old city and Forest Botanical Garden (Forstbotanischer Garten Köln, 25 hectares) – South. In addition, many tourists come here specifically only in order to visit the premuting Great Post a weekly Cologne Carnival (Kölner Karneval, Carnival in Cologne), Fireworks Festival "Cologne lights" (Kölner Lichter, mid-July) and one of the largest gay parades in Europe "Christopher Street Day" (CSD, is carried out in one of the weekends from June to August).
