Hohe Pforte
Southern gate of Cologne's Roman city wall on the 'cardo maximus' — the origin of today's Hohe Straße.
The Hohe Pforte was the southern gate of the Roman city wall in Cologne's Altstadt-Süd district. It marked the southern end of the cardo maximus, the ancient city's main north–south axis, which bore the name via alta at this point — the origin of today's Hohe Straße.
At a Glance
- Type
- Former Roman city gate (south gate)
- Latin names
- porta alta or porta Jovis
- Location
- Altstadt-Süd, at the present-day junction of Hohe Pforte and Am Blaubach
- Direction
- towards Bonn (Bonna); northern counterpart: Pfaffenpforte towards Neuss (Novaesium)
- South wall
- 903.30 metres long, running along the Duffesbach stream
- Cardo maximus
- 20 Roman feet (5.92 metres) wide
- Today
- Survives only as the street name Hohe Pforte
On the evening of 1 January AD 69, the cavalry of Legio I Germanica rode through this gate to enforce the imperial proclamation of Aulus Vitellius — and indeed, Vitellius had himself proclaimed emperor in Cologne the very next day.
Things to do here
- Walk in the footsteps of the Roman city wall
- Picture the ancient 'cardo maximus' once running right through here
- Spot the street name that still recalls the former south gate
- Stroll from here onto the Hohe Straße into the old town
- Read up on the site's history and take photos
Gate and Wall
Cologne's Roman city wall had nine gates through which the main roads left the city. The cardo maximus ran north–south, with the Pfaffenpforte at the northern end and the Hohe Pforte at the southern. The gate took its name from a small hill on which it stood elevated. The military road from Mainz to Xanten entered the city through it. The south wall followed the Duffesbach and ended at the Griechenpforte, a later breach rather than a proper gate; the Hohe Pforte was the only true through-passage on the southern side.
History
The wall must have been completed before 69 AD, as Tacitus mentions it in his Histories during his account of the Batavian revolt. On the evening of 1 January 69 AD, the cavalry of Legio I Germanica rode through the south gate from Bonn under their legate Fabius Valens; the following day, Vitellius was proclaimed emperor here. Excavations in February 2008 dendrochronologically dated the timber formwork of the eastern foundation to 89 AD.
Traces in the Cityscape
The probable exact location of the south gate lies in the front section of the building at Hohe Pforte No. 4, said to have been built on one of the gate's piers. Opposite Sternengasse stood St Stephen's Chapel, consecrated in 1009 by Archbishop Heribert of Cologne — the earliest consecrated chapel in the city; it was demolished before 1893.
Fate of the Gate
By the mid-12th century the south gate is documented as altea Porta, and in the 13th century as hoinporce. Its last recorded mention is in the deed registers of 1301. It had disappeared from Arnold Mercator's 1570 city panorama of Cologne entirely, while its northern counterpart, the Pfaffenpforte, was still shown. When a canal was laid along Hochpforte in 1868, the Roman wall was largely demolished at that point.
Timeline
- vor 69 n. Chr.Cologne city wall with southern gate completed (mentioned by Tacitus during the Batavian revolt)
- 1. Jan. 69 n. Chr.Cavalry of Legio I Germanica rides through the southern gate to support Vitellius
- 89 n. Chr.Formwork boards of the east-side concrete foundation dated by dendrochronology
- 1009St. Stephen's Chapel near the southern gate consecrated by Archbishop Heribert of Cologne
- 12. JahrhundertFirst written attestation of the gate as 'altea Porta'
- 1232Wine merchant Arnold Ungenoth owns a stone house at the southern gate
- 1301Last mention of the southern gate in Cologne's Schreinsbücher
- 1868Canal construction requires a major breach of the Roman wall at the Hohe Pforte
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Hohe Pforte
50676 Köln
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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