Wiener Platz
Central square and transport hub in Cologne's Mülheim district — a pedestrian zone with the district town hall, weekly market, and the 57-metre Bull high-rise.
Wiener Platz lies in the right-bank Cologne district of Mülheim and serves as the central square of both the neighbourhood and the administrative district of Cologne-Mülheim. It is also a major transport hub and home to the Mülheim district town hall.
At a Glance
- Type
- City square and transport hub, now a pedestrian zone
- Location
- Cologne-Mülheim, right bank of the Rhine
- Bull High-Rise
- 57 metres tall, 3 podium and 16 residential floors, occupied since 1960
- Redesign
- Converted to a pedestrian zone in the late 1990s
- Markets
- Weekly market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; Christmas market during Advent
- Notable
- Weapons-free zone since June 2024
Until 1938 the square was called "Oscarplatz" and was only renamed "Wiener Platz" after Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany – making its name a simultaneous reference to a political act of force and to the Congress of Vienna of 1814/15.
Name and History
Until 1938, the square was known as "Oscarplatz". Following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, it was renamed "Wiener Platz" (Vienna Square); the name is also meant to evoke the Congress of Vienna of 1814/15, at which the borders of Europe were redrawn after Napoleon's defeat.
Redesign and Markets
In the late 1990s, the square was comprehensively redesigned. Federal road B 8 had previously run straight through it; traffic was rerouted around the square, which became a pedestrian zone. In 1998, a small shopping arcade opened opposite the town hall. A weekly market is held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and the Mülheim Christmas market takes place here in the run-up to Christmas.
Bull High-Rise
This mixed-use residential and commercial tower was occupied in 1960 and initially served as the headquarters of the computer company Bull Deutschland Lochkarten GmbH.
Transport Hub
Several federal roads converge at Wiener Platz: Frankfurter Straße begins here, while the Clevischer Ring ends opposite (both part of the B 8), and Bergisch Gladbacher Straße (B 506) also starts here. The B 51 runs from the nearby Mülheim Rhine Bridge along the Clevischer Ring. Cologne's light rail network operates a major interchange at the square, with an above-ground stop for line 4 and an underground station built in 1997 for lines 13 and 18, which exit via a ramp onto the Mülheim Bridge just to the west. Numerous local, city, and regional bus routes also serve the square.
Railway History
Until 1909, the stations of the Cologne-Minden and Bergisch-Märkische railways stood nearby on Buchheimer Straße. In 1909 a shared station opened on Frankfurter Straße, and the old buildings on Buchheimer Straße were demolished.
Surveillance and Weapons Ban
Since December 2019, the square has been monitored by five cameras, with footage stored for two weeks. Since June 2024, it has been prohibited to carry firearms, bladed weapons, knives with blades longer than 4 cm, pepper spray, stun devices, and crossbows — making it Cologne's third weapons-free zone.
Timeline
- 1814/15Congress of Vienna: European borders redrawn after Napoleon's defeat
- 1845Opening of CME railway line Cologne–Duisburg (station near Wiener Platz)
- 1868Opening of BME lines to Elberfeld and Bergisch Gladbach–Lindlar
- 1903Construction begins on joint railway station at Frankfurter Straße
- 1909New joint station opens; old station buildings on Buchheimer Straße demolished
- 1938Renamed from 'Oscarplatz' to 'Wiener Platz' following Austria's annexation
- 1960Bull high-rise (57 m) occupied as headquarters of Bull Deutschland Lochkarten GmbH
- 1997Underground tram station beneath Wiener Platz opens
- 1998Square redesigned as pedestrian zone; small shopping arcade opposite city hall opens
- Dezember 2019Video surveillance with 5 cameras introduced
- Juni 2024Wiener Platz becomes Cologne's third weapons exclusion zone
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Wiener Platz
Köln
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27
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