Traveling to Cologne?
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Cologne is one of Germany's oldest cities, founded during the Roman Empire more than two thousand years ago. Situated on the banks of the Rhine, this vibrant city is world-renowned for its Gothic cathedral, one of the most magnificent religious buildings in Europe. Visitors come for its rich history, museums, famous carnival, and the pleasant atmosphere of the cafés lining the riverbank.
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A Gothic cathedral whose construction spanned 632 years — begun in 1248 and completed in 1880. Its two towers, standing 157 metres tall, were the tallest structures in the world from 1880 to 1884. The cathedral houses the 12th-century Shrine of the Three Kings, the largest Gothic goldsmith work in Europe, believed to contain the remains of the Biblical Magi.
It holds one of the largest collections of Pop Art outside the United States — works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg, most of which were purchased from the Ludwig couple in 1976, when the collection was donated to the city of Cologne. The 1986 building by architects Busmann and Haberer stands right alongside the Rhine and Cologne Cathedral, creating a rare urban triangle of Gothic architecture, contemporary design, and modern art. The museum also holds the second-largest collection of Picasso's works in Europe — more than 770 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics.
Founded in 1993 on the banks of the Rhine, the Cologne Chocolate Museum houses an original 3-metre-tall fountain through which real liquid chocolate flows — an installation that became the museum's defining symbol from the very first day it opened. The exhibition traces 3,000 years of cacao history, from its ritual use by the Maya to industrial production, with original artefacts and a reconstructed 19th-century factory. The museum attracts around 700,000 visitors a year, placing it among the ten most visited museums in Germany.
A light, top-fermented beer served in Cologne's brewpubs exclusively in a narrow cylindrical glass of 0.2 litres. The waiter, known as a Köbes, will not ask whether you want another — he simply replaces your empty glass with a full one until you place your coaster on top of the glass. That is the signal that you are done.
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