Trude-Herr-Park
Park with a monument to Cologne's beloved actress Trude Herr, set on the grounds of the former Stollwerck chocolate factory.
The green space covers around 7,000 square metres and is bounded by Bayenstraße, Zwirnerstraße, Zuggasse and Dreikönigenstraße. Cologne's city council unanimously chose its name on 16 February 1995.
Source: Wikipedia
Auf einen Blick
- Type
- Park
- Location
- Altstadt-Süd district, Innenstadt borough
- Neighbourhood
- Severinsviertel
- Next to
- Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
- Formerly
- Site of the Stollwerck chocolate factory
Trude-Herr-Park was created on the site of the demolished Stollwerck chocolate factory, whose planned complete demolition by the city of Cologne triggered the Stollwerck occupation – yet large parts were demolished anyway.
From Factory Grounds to Park
For a long time, Stollwerck made chocolate products here, in a production site with a long tradition. The factory closed in the mid-1970s. The City of Cologne bought the site and planned to demolish the entire complex. Protest against this plan gave rise to the Stollwerck occupation. Large parts were demolished in the end anyway. The cleared land was partly used for housing and partly for recreation, such as this park.
The Namesake
The park is named after Trude Herr, who died in 1991. Since 2022, a plaque beneath the street sign has given her dates, 4 May 1927 and 16 March 1991. It describes her as an actress, singer and director of the Theater im Vringsveedel. It also bears the words “Niemals geht man so ganz” (“One never really leaves”). This is also the title of one of her songs, which, alongside “Ich will keine Schokolade”, was her best-known hit.
The Trude Herr Monument
Since 2002, a metal monument by the sculptor Elmar Schulte has stood in the middle of the park. It was erected on the initiative of the Trude Herr fan club, with funds from the club. It is made of steel, basalt, stainless steel and marble. The sculpture shows Trude Herr in three poses: as an actress, as a singer and as a “dreamy woman”. A plaque in the Cologne dialect recalls her with the words “Mir verjesse Dich nit!” (“We won't forget you!”).
Timeline
- Mitte der 1970erStollwerck factory abandoned; protests lead to the Stollwerck occupation
- 1991Trude Herr, the park's namesake, dies
- 1995Cologne city council unanimously decides on the naming (16 February)
- 2002Monument by Elmar Schulte erected on the fan club's initiative
- 2022Information plaque about the namesake added beneath the street sign
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
You might also like — related or nearby
Comments
- Loading comments…
Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-11-08
How this page is made
This page draws on open sources — Wikipedia, Wikidata, official websites and the city’s open data — plus basic place data and photos from Google Maps where a place is listed there. Every statement is checked against the sources linked here, and pages are refreshed regularly.
Spotted a mistake anyway? Tell us below — we read every submission.