Buildings & Institutions in Cologne

Academy of Media Arts Cologne

since 1990

4.1(20)· Google

North Rhine-Westphalia's art and film school for media arts, founded in 1989, with interdisciplinary diploma programmes in the heart of Cologne.

Amtsgericht Köln

2.4(19)· Google

The largest court in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany's second-largest district court after Munich — also handling cases from Cologne/Bonn Airport.

Arnoldshof Estate

Bocklemünd's oldest surviving farmstead – a listed heritage complex now home to a country-style residential estate.

Benedictine Convent of Cologne

Active convent of the Benedictine Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament in Cologne-Raderberg, founded in 1890 and still home to a community of nuns today.

Blauer Hof

Housing estate in Cologne-Buchforst modeled on Dutch courtyard housing, famous for its blue-toned courtyard façades.

Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia

since 1971

3.5(63)· Google

Church-affiliated university of applied sciences for social work and healthcare professions, sponsored by four dioceses across Aachen, Cologne, Münster, and Paderborn.

CBS University of Applied Sciences

since 1993

Private Cologne university of applied sciences, formed in 2025 from the merger of CBS and EU|FH – ten campuses, around 46 programs in business, social work, education, health.

Christophorus-Kapelle (Longerich)

Denkmalgeschützte Militärkapelle von 1957 auf dem Gelände der Lüttich-Kaserne, benannt nach dem Schutzpatron der Reisenden.

Cologne University of Music and Dance

since 1925

4.5(172)· Google

One of Europe's largest music academies and Germany's second-oldest, founded in 1845 after Würzburg.

Cologne Water Gauge

4.4(73)· Google

On the left bank of the Rhine in Cologne's northern old town, the Pegel Köln has recorded the river's water level at river kilometre 688 for centuries.

Cologne-Merkenich Combined Heat and Power Plant

4.4(9)· Google

At 250 metres, this power plant's chimney is Cologne's second-tallest structure after the Colonius tower — and the city's primary source of district heating for its northern districts.

Colonia-Haus

since 1973

4.3(151)· Google

Germany's second-tallest residential skyscraper, right on the Rhine in Riehl — at 155 m with antenna, almost as tall as Cologne Cathedral (157 m).

Congress-Centrum Koelnmesse

A sprawling convention and events complex at the Koelnmesse with more than 19,500 seats and around 40 flexible rooms.

Court Building at Appellhofplatz (Appellhof)

since 1893

2.7(36)· Google

Cologne's oldest court building – a monument to Rhenish legal history, from the Court of Appeal through the Nazi-era special courts to today's seat of the administrative and fiscal courts.

Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln

since 1947

4.7(278)· Google

Germany's only sports university and, by institutes, disciplines and student numbers, the largest of its kind worldwide, at Müngersdorf Sports Park.

Deutz Gas Engine Factory

since 1864

On this historic industrial site in Cologne-Mülheim, regarded as the „birthplace of global motorisation“, the raum13 cultural initiative is now at work – amid listed buildings such as the Möhring Pavilion at the Mülheim harbour.

Domforum

4.4(262)· Google

Located on the Domplatte opposite the cathedral's west portal, the Domforum serves as the visitor centre of Cologne Cathedral and as a meeting and events centre of the city's Catholic Church.

Excelsior Hotel Ernst

since 1863

4.6(1,842)· Google

Storied five-star grand hotel dating from 1863, standing right beside Cologne Cathedral and family-owned for six generations.

Fettenhof Farmstead

A four-sided farmstead in Cologne-Bocklemünd, first recorded in 1170, that later housed traveling young craftsmen for about three decades.

Funkhaus Köln (Deutschlandfunk Tower)

since 1978

The 102-metre Funkhaus Köln in the Raderthal district has housed the studios and editorial offices of Deutschlandfunk since 1979. Listed as a protected monument since 2024, the tower with its unusual suspended structure can be explored on regular public guided tours.

Galeria Cologne Hohe Strasse

1912–1914 department store where Germany's first-ever department store escalator went into operation in 1925.

Gereon-Kaserne

since 1937

4.3(52)· Google

Bundeswehr barracks in Cologne housing the military leadership assessment centre — renamed from Mudra-Kaserne in 2022.

Gerling Ring-Karree

since 2001

4.1(280)· Google

A 55-metre office tower on Hohenzollernring designed by Norman Foster — with a hidden lake and garden reserved exclusively for residents.

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

since 1907

Germany's national aeronautics and space research centre is headquartered in Cologne-Porz — and its European Astronaut Centre is where ESA's astronauts train.

Gut Mielenforst

Former knight's estate at the edge of Königsforst, its Neo-Renaissance manor house now the heart of a residential complex.

Hansahochhaus

since 1925

3.9(785)· Google

Cologne's first skyscraper from 1925 — briefly the tallest building in Europe at completion, built in the Brick Expressionist style.

Heizkraftwerk Köln-Niehl

3.0(13)· Google

Rheinenergie's gas-fired combined heat and power plant in Niehl — supplying Cologne's city centre with district heating, with Germany's largest heat pump planned next door.

Herkules-Hochhaus

since 1972

3.6(157)· Google

Nicknamed the 'Parrot House' for its vivid coloured façade, this 1972 residential tower in Neuehrenfeld stands 102 m tall — Cologne's ninth-highest high-rise.

Historical Archive with Rhenish Image Archive

since 1857

5.0(1)· Google

Germany's largest municipal archive — collapsed during subway construction in 2009, reopened in a new building at Eifelwall in 2021.

Immanuelkirche (Köln-Longerich)

1962/63 errichtete evangelische Kirche mit über 35 Meter langem Schiff und 450 Plätzen, die der ganzen Longericher Gemeinde ihren Namen gab.

Isenburg

Moated castle on a water-encircled island in Cologne-Holweide, with a 16th-century tower and an 18th-century manor house.

Jewish Welfare Center

3.6(5)· Google

Jewish social facility of the Cologne Synagogue Community in Neuehrenfeld — housed in the historic buildings of the former Israelite Asylum for the Sick and Elderly.

Kartäuserwallbad

4.0(23)· Google

Indoor pool in Cologne's Südstadt – a course and teaching pool for school and club swimming only.

Kiesgruben Paulsmaar

since 1991

5.0(2)· Google

A fenced-off Cologne nature reserve with three former gravel-pit lakes southeast of the city, leased to an angling club and closed to the public.

Klosterhof (Cologne-Dünnwald)

4.0(3)· Google

The Klosterhof in Cologne-Dünnwald is the surviving, listed working estate of the former Dünnwald monastery; its eastern wing today serves as a residential and office building.

Köln Hauptbahnhof

since 1859

4.0(8,534)· Google

Cologne's central railway station beside the cathedral — the fifth busiest in Germany, with around 280,000 travellers a day.

KölnTurm

since 2001

4.4(80)· Google

Cologne's tallest office building in the Mediapark (148.1 m) — glass façade with fired-on cathedral motifs and a rooftop terrace on the 30th floor open to restaurant guests.

Kreuzkirche

since 1913

Former Protestant church near Cologne's main station, now the Pathpoint Cologne youth hostel.

Landgericht Köln

2.4(298)· Google

One of Germany's largest regional courts – with a press chamber that journalists consider the strictest in the country.

Langeler Bogen Flood Retention Basin

A polder on the right bank of the Rhine that is deliberately flooded during high water events to lower the river level in Cologne.

Lanxess Tower

since 1969

Striking 95-metre office tower in Cologne-Deutz, originally built as Lufthansa's headquarters and now home to the global HQ of Lanxess AG.

Luftwaffenkaserne

since 1870

5.0(1)· Google

One of Germany's largest military bases at around 300 hectares — home to senior Bundeswehr commands, a NATO unit, and a Canadian operational hub.

Maternushaus

4.4(1,702)· Google

Conference centre of the Archdiocese of Cologne in the old town, built from 1978 to 1983 to a design by Hans Schilling and Peter Kulka.

Naumannsiedlung Cologne

1920s social housing estate in Cologne-Riehl, famous for its loggia balconies and Neues Bauen design, built on a former brickworks site.

Oberpostdirektion Köln

Regional postal authority for the Cologne area from 1850 to 1993, headquartered in the Altstadt-Nord district.

Pollonius

5.0(2)· Google

115-metre telecommunications tower in Cologne's Porz district, named as a nod to its taller 'big brother', the Colonius tower.

Rechtsrheinischer Kölner Randkanal

A twelve-kilometre underground relief canal that carries streams on the right bank of the Rhine from Bergisch Gladbach-Refrath all the way to Cologne-Stammheim, where they empty into the river.

Reichenspergerplatz Court Building

since 1911

2.3(20)· Google

Cologne's largest historic courthouse, opened in 1911 and still home to the Higher Regional Court – with an air-raid shelter beneath the forecourt, rediscovered in 2009 and open for visits on the first Sunday of each month.

RemediCool Cryotherapy Chamber Experts

4.9(39)· Google

RemediCool combines cryotherapy chamber technology with an app-based software solution – from algorithmic session time calculation to vital data tracking.

Rheinische Hochschule Köln

since 1971

3.9(98)· Google

Private university of applied sciences in Cologne, formerly Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln (RFH) and renamed in March 2024.

Ringturm

since 1973

4.6(9)· Google

The Ringturm at Cologne's Ebertplatz is a 109-metre high-rise from 1973 that, since its conversion into apartments, stands as a striking architectural landmark in the Neustadt-Nord district.

Schönrath

Historic manor near Cologne, for centuries owned by Altenberg Abbey and later the birthplace of Rhenish heavy horse breeding.

Siedlung Volkspark

Uniformly planned villa estate in Cologne's green belt, built 1949–1951 for occupying forces and protected as a whole since 1995.

St. Anna-Haus

4.1(10)· Google

Founded in 1888 as a hospital and care home for the elderly, it served as a hospital until 1979 — today a Cellitinnen senior residence in Cologne-Lindenthal.

Stadtbibliothek Köln

since 1890

4.4(636)· Google

One of Germany's largest public libraries with around 850,000 items — currently operating from a temporary location on Hohe Straße during major renovations.

Stüttgenhof

One of Cologne's oldest farmsteads – partly ringed by a moat and still worked today by its owning family.

Technische Hochschule Köln

since 1971

4.0(97)· Google

One of Germany's largest universities of applied sciences, with over 21,000 students across campuses in Cologne, Gummersbach, and Leverkusen.

Thurner Hof

since 1150

4.6(39)· Google

A historic manor farm in Cologne-Dellbrück with a 16th-century timber-framed manor house and a freely accessible teaching garden.

TtE-Bücherei

5.0(1)· Google

Freely accessible library and archive of left-wing social movements at the Alte Feuerwache — holding citizens' initiative journals and a substantial collection of grey literature.

TÜV Rheinland

since 1872

4.2(460)· Google

Independent testing and certification giant born from steam boiler inspection in 1872 — headquartered in the 114 m Am Grauen Stein tower in Cologne.

Uni-Center

since 1973

4.1(461)· Google

One of Europe's largest residential buildings: the Y-shaped tower in Sülz combines 968 apartments with a 134-metre central core.

University of Cologne

since 1388

4.0(546)· Google

Full-fledged university founded in 1919 in Cologne-Lindenthal; with over 43,000 students, one of Germany's largest on-campus universities.

Vierscheibenhaus – WDR Office Building at Appellhofplatz

The Vierscheibenhaus is a striking office building belonging to the West German Broadcasting (WDR) in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord district. Its interior is closed to the public, but the staggered building slabs are well worth viewing from the outside.

ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences

since 1973

Germany's central specialist library for medicine, health, nutrition, environment and agricultural sciences — with its main campus in Cologne-Lindenthal.

Zentralbibliothek der Sportwissenschaften

since 1947

4.7(20)· Google

The university library of the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln — reportedly the world's largest specialized library dedicated to sport and sports science.

No longer exists Alte Wache (Waidmarkt)

Alte Wache (Waidmarkt)

A Prussian guardhouse from 1840/41 on the Waidmarkt, whose listed portico was dismantled and put into storage for possible reconstruction after the 2009 archive collapse.

No longer exists Funkhaus am Raderberggürtel

Funkhaus am Raderberggürtel

Former headquarters of Deutsche Welle in Cologne, and at 138 metres the tallest building ever demolished in Germany.

No longer exists Hacht (Prison)

Hacht (Prison)

Archbishop's court and prison on today's Cathedral Square — criminals were locked up here and women tried as witches.

Permanently closed Helios (Electrical Engineering Company)

Helios (Electrical Engineering Company)

since 1882

3.9(568)· Google

Electrical engineering pioneer from Ehrenfeld — its 44 m Heliosturm, a faux lighthouse, still defines the neighbourhood today.

No longer exists Karmelite Monastery Cologne

Karmelite Monastery Cologne

Former Carmelite monastery south of Cologne's Waidmarkt, founded in 1256 and secularized in 1802 – the female Carmelite branch still exists in Cologne today.

No longer exists Linneper Hof (Reifferscheider Hof), Cologne

Linneper Hof (Reifferscheider Hof), Cologne

Former noble courtyard on Cologne Cathedral's precinct, originally the archbishops' residence — demolished in the 1740s, now part of the Roman-Germanic Museum grounds.

No longer exists Residential and Commercial Building Hansemannstraße 2

Residential and Commercial Building Hansemannstraße 2

A listed Cologne-Ehrenfeld building demolished in 2019 after structural damage caused by construction next door.

Permanently closed St. Laurentius (Cologne-Lindenthal)

St. Laurentius (Cologne-Lindenthal)

since 1961

A plain brick cube by Emil Steffann in Lindenthal, deconsecrated in 2019 and set to become a university lecture hall. Built in 1961/62, it counts as a notable example of Cologne's post-war architecture.

No longer exists Stadttheater in der Glockengasse

Stadttheater in der Glockengasse

Cologne's grand Neo-Renaissance theatre of 1872 for drama and operetta, lost to bombing in 1943.

Buildings & Institutions

Academy of Media Arts Cologne

Amtsgericht Köln

Arnoldshof Estate

Benedictine Convent of Cologne

Blauer Hof

Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia

CBS University of Applied Sciences

Christophorus-Kapelle (Longerich)

Cologne University of Music and Dance

Cologne Water Gauge

Cologne-Merkenich Combined Heat and Power Plant

Colonia-Haus

Congress-Centrum Koelnmesse

Court Building at Appellhofplatz (Appellhof)

Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln

Deutz Gas Engine Factory

Domforum

Excelsior Hotel Ernst

Fettenhof Farmstead

Funkhaus Köln (Deutschlandfunk Tower)

Galeria Cologne Hohe Strasse

Gereon-Kaserne

Gerling Ring-Karree

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Gut Mielenforst

Hansahochhaus

Heizkraftwerk Köln-Niehl

Herkules-Hochhaus

Historical Archive with Rhenish Image Archive

Immanuelkirche (Köln-Longerich)

Isenburg

Jewish Welfare Center

Kartäuserwallbad

Kiesgruben Paulsmaar

Klosterhof (Cologne-Dünnwald)

Köln Hauptbahnhof

KölnTurm

Kreuzkirche

Landgericht Köln

Langeler Bogen Flood Retention Basin

Lanxess Tower

Luftwaffenkaserne

Maternushaus

Naumannsiedlung Cologne

Oberpostdirektion Köln

Pollonius

Rechtsrheinischer Kölner Randkanal

Reichenspergerplatz Court Building

RemediCool Cryotherapy Chamber Experts

Rheinische Hochschule Köln

Ringturm

Schönrath

Siedlung Volkspark

St. Anna-Haus

Stadtbibliothek Köln

Stüttgenhof

Technische Hochschule Köln

Thurner Hof

TtE-Bücherei

TÜV Rheinland

Uni-Center

University of Cologne

Vierscheibenhaus – WDR Office Building at Appellhofplatz

ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences

Zentralbibliothek der Sportwissenschaften

Alte Wache (Waidmarkt)

Funkhaus am Raderberggürtel

Hacht (Prison)

Helios (Electrical Engineering Company)

Karmelite Monastery Cologne

Linneper Hof (Reifferscheider Hof), Cologne

Residential and Commercial Building Hansemannstraße 2

St. Laurentius (Cologne-Lindenthal)

Stadttheater in der Glockengasse

On the map

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