Volksgarten
13.9-hectare park in Cologne's Südstadt, built on a Prussian fort site, with a boating lake and preserved fortifications.
The Volksgarten is a 13.9-hectare public park in the southern part of Cologne's Neustadt district. Created between 1887 and 1889 on the grounds of a decommissioned Prussian fort, it was the first section of what would become the city's Inner Green Belt.
At a Glance
- Type
- Public park / green space
- Location
- Southern Neustadt, Südstadt neighbourhood, Innenstadt borough
- Size
- 13.9 hectares, including a 1.3-hectare boating lake
- Opened
- 12 March 1890
- Highlight
- Preserved remains of Fort IV, including an orangery
- Facilities
- Children's playgrounds, boating lake with pedalo hire, garden restaurant, beer garden
- Best for
- Walks, summer picnics, and (unofficially tolerated) barbecuing
Volksgarten was built on the grounds of a Prussian fort (Fort IV, constructed 1816–1825), the first in Cologne's fortification ring to be abandoned – and its Orangerie is no ornamental building but a former ammunition depot sunk deep into the ground in 1841.
Things to do here
Area comparison
Area compared with other Cologne parks and green spaces.
History
The park was laid out on the site of Fort Paul (Fort IV), built between 1816 and 1825 and named after Grand Duke Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg, a son-in-law of Frederick William III. After the Franco-Prussian War, it was the first fortification in the ring to be abandoned — too close to the city and hemmed in by the railway. City councillor Wilhelm Kaesen personally purchased around sixty private plots and offered them to the city at cost in 1886. Following a design competition, garden director Adolf Kowallek was commissioned to lay out the park.
Fortifications and Orangery
Several elements of the original fort survive, including the main gate with two round towers and, in the eastern section, remains of the lunette. Between them stands the building now known as the Orangery — a remnant of the ammunition depot sunk deep into the ground in 1841, with its distinctive crescent-shaped blast walls still visible. After the First World War the building served as the first home of the Botanical Institute at the University of Cologne, re-founded in 1919.
Location and Surroundings
The park lies near Sachsenring, between Volksgartenstraße and the parallel Vorgebirgswall to the south. It is bounded at its narrow ends by Eifelstraße, Eifelplatz, and Vorgebirgstraße. Green corridors connect it eastward — beyond the railway embankment — to the Vorgebirgspark. The Volksgarten marks the start of the Grünzug Süd, a chain of parks extending all the way to Bonn.
Today
The city estimates that up to 10,000 people visit the park on a summer's day. The boating lake was drained and renovated at the end of 2022 after its wildlife was relocated; the works, completed in early 2025, increased the water depth to up to four metres to reduce overheating. Near the north entrance stands a memorial to the park's founder, Wilhelm Kaesen.
Timeline
- 1816–1825Prussia builds Fort Paul (Fort IV) on what will become the park grounds
- 1841Ammunition depot built deep underground (later converted into the Orangerie)
- 1886Merchant Wilhelm Kaesen offers the city ~10 ha of land for 680,000 marks
- November 1887City commissions garden director Adolf Kowallek to carry out his plans
- Januar 1888Core construction work on the park begins
- 12. März 1890Official opening ceremony of the park
- 1919Orangerie serves as the first institute building of the re-founded University of Cologne
- Ende 2022 – Anfang 2025The boating pond is drained and renovated; water depth increased to up to 4 metres
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Eifelstraße
50677 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27
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