Eierplätzchen
A small oval square in Cologne's Südstadt where six streets meet like spokes — named not by city hall, but by the locals themselves.
Tucked into the southern edge of Cologne's Neustadt district, just beside the Römerpark, lies a small oval square that owes its name not to city planners but to ordinary Kölners: the Eierplätzchen.
At a Glance
- Type
- Small oval square (unofficial name)
- District
- Südstadt, inner city borough
- Surroundings
- Adjacent to the Römerpark
- Streets
- Six residential streets converge in a star pattern
- Trees
- 12 lime trees
- Urban planner
- Josef Stübben (Neustadt expansion after 1887)
The square's charming name "Eierplätzchen" (egg cookie) is entirely unofficial – the city of Cologne never formally named it; the locals coined the term themselves, playing on both the oval shape of the square and the popular biscuit of the same name.
Things to do here
- Stroll across the oval square and discover where the six streets meet star-like
- Take a break under the twelve linden trees and watch the world go by
- Photograph the sightline along Teutoburger Straße to the old business college
- Walk along the footpaths over to the neighbouring Römerpark
- Stop in at the Café am Römerpark and soak up the Cologne Südstadt vibe
- With a bit of luck, catch a performance by the local Eierplätzchenbänd
Star-Shaped Street Network
Following Josef Stübben's city plan, six residential streets meet here: Teutoburger Straße, Mainzer Straße (arriving from Ubierring), which continues behind the roundel as Alteburger Straße, plus Trajanstraße and Titusstraße, which frame the triangular Römerpark. Eburonenstraße recalls the Germanic adversaries of the Romans — Trajan and Titus — commemorated just across the way. Because the converging streets vary in width, the square took on its distinctive oval shape. Beyond Teutoburger Straße, a visual axis opens onto the former Handelshochschule Köln, built in 1907–08 and today the main building of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.
The Square Itself
Traffic circles the oval as a one-way loop. The packed-earth interior is bisected by two footpaths running east–west and north–south, forming a simple cross. The square serves as the terminus of the Teutoburger Straße avenue and provides a natural transition into the Römerpark.
The Name
City authorities never saw fit to give the square an official name — so the locals took matters into their own hands. They dubbed it Eierplätzchen, a word that also means a type of egg-shaped biscuit, very much in keeping with Cologne's tradition of giving its own quirky names to local specialties, from Kölscher Kaviar to Halver Hahn.
Today
The surrounding Südstadt neighbourhood has a strong cultural and student character, making the Eierplätzchen a natural gathering point for events. The Café am Römerpark on the corner of Teutoburger Straße is said to be a favourite haunt of Cologne's creative crowd. Occasionally, an informal local band called the Eierplätzchenbänd takes to the square for an impromptu performance.
Timeline
- nach 1887Urban planning of Cologne's Neustadt by Josef Stübben; radial street layout
- 1907/1908Construction of the Handelshochschule Köln (now University of Applied Sciences Cologne)
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Mainzer Str. 57
50678 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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