Nippeser Tälchen
A green space in an ancient Rhine-arm hollow in Nippes – with a wide meadow, playground, boules court and dog run, where a fish lake and a pleasure garden once lay.
The Nippeser Tälchen is a green space in the Nippes district. It lies in a hollow formed some 5,000 years ago by a side arm of the Rhine, which for centuries held a lake used as a fish pond.
At a Glance
- Type
- green space in an old Rhine-arm hollow
- Location
- Nippes district and borough
- Size
- about 27,340 square metres (green area)
- For families
- playground with a water-play area
- Also
- a large boules court and a dog run
- Official name
- since 2012
The district name Nippes probably goes back to the former lake: it may derive from "Niep", meaning something like "damp hollow" – the very depression in which the Nippeser Tälchen lies today.
Things to do here
- Stroll across the wide lawn
- Let kids play on the playground with its water-play area
- Play a round on the large boules court
- Let the dog run on the off-leash area
- Stop by the Altenberger Hof community centre
- Boating ↗
Area comparison
Area compared with other Cologne parks and green spaces.
From Rhine Hollow to Fish Lake
Around 5,000 years ago a side arm of the Rhine flowed through today's hollow, branching off near the Zoobrücke and rejoining the river around the Worringer Bruch. Over the millennia the water receded and the arm became a lake. Even in Roman times a villa rustica stood above the hollow; its remains were discovered near the Altenberger Hof in the 1990s. In the Middle Ages the lake served as a fish pond; a first lease from 1233 names the provost of the St. Kunibert collegiate church as its owner.
Pleasure Garden and Filling-in
The lake was used for more than fishing: in 1883 the local "Feldschlösschen" brewery cut natural ice from the frozen surface in winter. From 1883 to 1902 the "Nippeser Volksgarten", a small pleasure garden with a restaurant, a garden pavilion and canoe rides, lay around the water. In 1903 the lake was filled in and the ground raised – like the whole district during industrialisation. The area then served as a fairground and sports field and, at times, as a barracks camp.
Today
In 1954 Cologne city council resolved to keep the little valley as open space; from the 1970s it was comprehensively redesigned and planted with many trees. Today the site consists of a large, tree-fringed lawn with a playground, water-play area, boules court and dog run. Above it, the surviving Altenberger Hof has served as a community centre with a restaurant since 2007; a connecting path is named after the resistance fighter Rosa Safarowsky.
Timeline
- 1233First recorded lease of the fish pond in the hollow
- 1883The 'Nippeser Volksgarten' pleasure garden with restaurant and canoe rides opens at the lake
- 1903The lake is filled in and the ground raised
- 1954Cologne city council decides to preserve the little valley as open space
- 2012The green space officially receives the name 'Nippeser Tälchen'
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Nippeser Tälchen
50733 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-01
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