Klingelpützpark
Park on the site of the demolished Klingelpütz prison — with a memorial stone honouring more than 1,000 victims of Nazi-era justice.
In Cologne's northern old town, Klingelpützpark occupies the grounds of a former prison and is considered the most significant green space created in the Cologne Altstadt during the 20th century.
At a Glance
- Type
- inner-city landscape park
- Location
- Altstadt-Nord district, Innenstadt borough
- Size
- approximately 2 hectares
- Laid out
- 1969–1971
- Former use
- site of Klingelpütz prison
- Design
- open and spacious, accessible from all sides
- Notable feature
- memorial stone and monument for Nazi victims
- Award
- Monument of the Month, September 2008 (RVDL)
Today's park was built on the grounds of the former Klingelpütz prison, and the rubble from the demolished building was deliberately piled into a hill — serving as a memorial to the more than 1,000 people believed to have been executed there during the Nazi era.
Area comparison
Area compared with other Cologne parks and green spaces.
History
The park's origins lie in a land swap agreed between the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Cologne on 17 April 1958. The city provided a building plot in Cologne-Ossendorf for a new correctional facility; in return, the Klingelpütz site would revert to the city upon completion, with a commitment to convert it into a public green space. The prison vacated the site in May 1969. The park's distinctively open, spacious layout came from competition entries submitted for the Peter Joseph Lenné Prize.
Memorial
Rubble from the demolished prison was shaped into a hill on the park's north-western edge. Together with a commemorative stone created by Hans Karl Burgeff, it stands as a reminder of the more than 1,000 people believed to have been executed at Klingelpütz prison during the Nazi period.
Location and Surroundings
The park is bordered by Kyotostraße to the south, Klingelpütz and Plankgasse to the south-east, Vogteistraße to the north-east, and Gereonswall to the north-west. At its western corner it meets the Gereonswall primary school, the Gereonsmühle, and Hansaplatz — a square facing Hansaring with which the park shares a spatial connection. Neighbouring quarters include the Hansaviertel, Eigelsteinviertel, Ursulaviertel, and Gereonsviertel.
Today
The park is freely accessible and sits between residential and school buildings. Visitors report a playground, basketball hoops, a small concrete skating ramp, open lawns, and shaded seating beneath trees. On clear days, the tip of Cologne Cathedral is visible from certain spots within the park.
Timeline
- 1958Exchange agreement (17 April): City of Cologne receives Klingelpütz site for green space
- 1969Prison fully relocated to new site in Cologne-Ossendorf (May)
- 1969–1971Klingelpütz Park created based on award-winning designs
- 2006City of Cologne begins planning for educational campus around the park
- 2008RVDL names the park Monument of the Month for September
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Klingelpütz
50670 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-06-25)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-24)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-24, rev 267603130)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26