City centre
250 places in Cologne
A. Schaaffhausen’sches Bank Palace
Cologne bank palace of 1859–1862 blending Neoclassical form with Italian Renaissance splendor—destroyed in the war.
Aachener Weiher
A 1920s artificial lake in Cologne's Inner Green Belt, framed by a beer garden, East Asian art, and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Park.
Deutz Abbey
since 1001Cologne's Deutz Abbey, founded in 1002, is the original home of the golden Heribert Shrine and today serves as a Greek Orthodox church.
Adolph Kolping Monument
since 1903Bronze memorial to Adolph Kolping — the 'Father of Journeymen' and founder of the Catholic journeymen's associations — standing before Cologne's Minorite Church, where he is buried.
Agfa Foto-Historama
One of the world's most significant photo-historical collections — nearly 20,000 cameras and over 12,000 photographs, now housed at Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
Agrippabad Sauna
since 1955Sauna area of Cologne's Agrippabad – reopening on 17 July 2026 after roof and façade renovation works.
Alt St. Alban – Church Ruin and War Memorial at Quatermarkt
since 1200Preserved Romanesque church ruin at Quatermarkt; left unrestored after WWII bombing and consecrated as a memorial to the war dead in 1959.
Alt St. Paul
Romanesque parish church in medieval Cologne, dissolved in 1803 and demolished in 1807 — remnants of its furnishings survive today in St. Andreas.
Alter Deutzer Friedhof
A former municipal cemetery turned listed park in Deutz, home to a sandstone crucifixion group from 1849 and a rare Reform-style enclosure from 1913/14.
Alter Markt
Historic square in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord with a medieval-looking row of buildings — documented as Cologne's market since 922.
Amerika Haus
From 1955 to 2007 Cologne's hub for US cultural exchange — the last of the once 57 Amerika Houses still operating in Germany.
Amtsgericht Köln
The largest court in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany's second-largest district court after Munich — also handling cases from Cologne/Bonn Airport.
Appellhofplatz
Cologne square named after the Court of Appeal — built on the site of a Roman gate tower and shaped by centuries of landmark court cases.
Ara Ubiorum
Where conquered Germanic chiefs swore loyalty to Rome: a lost Roman altar in Cologne, dedicated to the goddess Roma and the emperor, and site of a 'Germanic diet'.
Augustinerplatz 12
On 20 April 1896, Germany's very first film screening took place here — twelve French short films in a rented hall.
Barbarossaplatz
Traffic hub on Cologne's Kölner Ringe ring road, named after Frederick Barbarossa in 1883, with a tram stop encircled by multi-lane carriageways.
Bastei
since 1924Expressionist observation restaurant (1924) on a Prussian caponier — superstructure cantilevers 8 m beyond its footprint; closed since 2019.
Bayenturm
since 1220One of Cologne's few surviving medieval fortification towers, built c. 1220 on the Rhine — today home to the FrauenMediaTurm foundation.
Benedictine Convent of the Holy Maccabees
Medieval convent near the Eigelstein named after Maccabean relics brought to Cologne — its buildings have long since vanished.
Glaub Cutlery Museum
A Cologne specialty museum (1951–1995) housing what was likely one of the world's most extensive cutlery collections — from Stone Age knives to the present day.
Bierbrunnen
since 1972A 1972 fountain on Schildergasse featuring a granite column wrapped in a thin veil of water — named after a brief beer tap that once operated at the site.
Bismarck Monument (Augustinerplatz)
The second Bismarck statue in the German Empire — unveiled in 1879 in Catholic Cologne as a deliberate provocation, lost to war.
Brauhaus Sion
Historic Cologne brewery tavern with roots going back to 1318 — home of Sion Kölsch and a stop on the Brewery Trail.
Breslauer Platz
The northern forecourt of Cologne Central Station — home to the city's main bus terminal and the Musical Dome, Cologne's largest theatre.
Brüsseler Platz
The heart of Cologne's Belgian Quarter, defined by the Neo-Romanesque church of St. Michael — a vibrant social hub and the scene of a long-running noise dispute.
Capitol
Former Cologne cinema on Hohenzollernring, later home to TV shows like 'TV total' and 'The Harald Schmidt Show'.
Cellitine Convent of the Holy Trinity
Former Cologne convent of the Cellite Sisters, who nursed the sick — tracing its roots to a beguinage founded in 1365.
Klein-Nazareth Cellite Convent
Former Cologne convent whose Cellite sisters, unlike the rest of their order, did not permanently work in nursing care.
Cellitinnenkloster Zederwald
A beguine convent in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord that cared for the sick for five centuries, from 1302 to 1802.
Christuskirche
since 1891Protestant church in the Belgian Quarter: a historic Neo-Gothic tower fronting a nave that was newly consecrated in 2016.
Cinedom
Multiplex cinema in Cologne's Mediapark — beneath the dome of its glazed rotunda, 3,200 diodes once traced the northern night sky.
Colonius
since 1981At 266 metres, the tallest telecommunications tower in North Rhine-Westphalia — its revolving restaurant and observation deck have been closed for years.
Comedia Theater
Independent children's and youth theatre in a former Cologne fire station — with its own evening programme of cabaret, music and theatre for adults.
Crux (Youth Pastoral Centre)
Home of the 'church with the leaning tower' — Catholic youth pastoral centre in Cologne's Südstadt, combining a church, café, and community spaces under one roof.
The Kölsche Boor en Iser (The Cologne Farmer in Iron)
Cologne's WWI war memorial – after, or alongside, Berlin's Iron Hindenburg the most widely covered such monument in the national press.
Deserters' Memorial
since 2009A memorial to victims of Nazi military justice at Appellhofplatz — a pergola whose chained tribute inscription seems written in colored letters across the sky.
German Sport & Olympic Museum
since 1999Museum in Cologne's Rheinauhafen dedicated to the history of sport from antiquity to the present — with rooms on the Olympics, football, boxing, and more.
German Dance Archive & Dance Museum
since 1985Research and documentation centre for dance in the Mediapark – combining an archive, library, video collection and museum tracing the history of stage dance.
Deutschordenskirche St. Katharina
Long-demolished church of a Teutonic Order commandery in Altstadt-Süd; only the street An Sankt Katharinen preserves its name today.
Deutz Bridge
The world's first steel box girder bridge (1947/48) – linking Heumarkt with Deutz; the Roman bridge once stood a few metres further north.
Deutzer Drehbrücke
since 1908Rotating steel bridge from 1908 over Deutz Harbour — one of two Cologne swing bridges, a listed technical monument with its original control house intact.
Die Trauernde
since 1949A 1949 sculpture by Gerhard Marcks standing in the churchyard of St. Maria im Kapitol, commemorating the victims of World War II.
Disch-Haus
Cologne office and commercial building regarded as a major landmark of New Objectivity architecture, built on the site of a former luxury hotel.
Draped Reclining Figure
Bronze sculpture by Henry Moore at Museum Ludwig – a reclining, drapery-clad woman, cast in 1952/53.
Swing Bridge in the Rheinauhafen
since 1896Cologne's oldest crossing over Rhine water: a listed swing bridge from 1896 that pivots aside using hydraulics powered from the Malakoff Tower.
Duffesbach
The only stream in the Cologne Bay to reach the Rhine — artificially channelled since Roman times to serve Cologne's medieval trades.
Fragrance Museum in the Farina House
since 1709Birthplace of Eau de Cologne: the Farina House of 1709, the oldest perfume factory in the world still in operation.
Ebertplatz
Square on Cologne's ring boulevards in Neustadt-Nord, laid out in the late 19th century where the city's demolished fortifications once stood.
Eierplätzchen
A small oval square in Cologne's Südstadt where six streets meet like spokes — named not by city hall, but by the locals themselves.
Eigelsteintorburg
since 1228One of four surviving gates of Cologne's medieval city wall — both Maria de' Medici and Napoleon once entered the city through this very gate.
Eis- und Schwimmstadion Köln
since 1930Home of seven Kölner Haie championship titles (1972–1998) on Lentstraße in the Grüngürtel — replaced by the Lentpark in 2011.
Erich-Klibansky-Platz
A Cologne memorial square whose Lion Fountain bears the names of 1,100 murdered Jewish children — built on the former site of the Adass Jeschurun congregation.
Erzbischöfliche Diözesan- und Dombibliothek Köln
Among surviving cathedral libraries, considered the most significant — the Archdiocese of Cologne's central library, with roots in the 6th/7th century.
Filmhaus Köln
since 2021Hub for film culture combining a deliberately non-commercial cinema, film education, and professional training — housed in a former freight depot building from 1891.
Fischmarkt
Historic square on the Rhine riverfront in Cologne's Altstadt — for centuries the heart of the city's fish trade, first recorded as "forum piscium" in the 12th century.
Flora
since 1864Cologne's botanical garden centred on the 1864 glass festival hall 'Flora' — a Lenné-designed park with over 10,000 plant species across more than 11 hectares.
Fordturm
Former 112 m steel lattice tower in Cologne-Deutz, crowned by a rotating "Ford" globe — built in 1950 and demolished just thirteen years later.
Freies Werkstatt Theater Cologne
Contemporary theatre house in Cologne's Südstadt, born from a 1970s artist-and-pupils experiment, with a strong focus on children's and youth theatre.
Friesenplatz
Square on Cologne's ring boulevards at the start of Venloer Straße — gateway to the Belgian Quarter and once the haunt of Cologne's underworld.
Friesentor
since 1244Cologne's only hexagonal city gate, built around 1244 at what is now Friesenplatz — a uniquely shaped landmark of the medieval fortifications.
Galeria Cologne Hohe Strasse
1912–1914 department store where Germany's first-ever department store escalator went into operation in 1925.
Gereonshaus
Monumental office building of 1909/10 by Carl Moritz, now home to the German Association of Cities and Towns.
Gereonsmühle
A surviving stretch of Cologne's medieval city wall with a former defensive tower that was converted into a windmill in the 15th century.
© Architecten- und Ingenieur-Verein für Niederrhein und Westfalen Köln · Public domainGereonstor
since 1215Medieval twin-tower gate of Cologne's city wall — bricked up for over 400 years, once the city's strictest prison, demolished in 1881.
Gerling Ring-Karree
since 2001A 55-metre office tower on Hohenzollernring designed by Norman Foster — with a hidden lake and garden reserved exclusively for residents.
Germania Judaica
since 1959Europe's most extensive specialist library on the history of German-speaking Jewry — founded in Cologne in 1959 with Heinrich Böll among its founders.
Gloria
Former cinema in Cologne's city centre, now a versatile venue for concerts, comedy, readings, parties, and carnival events.
Grinkopf
Grotesque stone grimace masks adorning old Cologne houses—descendants of Roman terracotta masks made nearby 2,000 years ago.
Groß St. Martin
since 1150Romanesque basilica in Cologne's Old Town with a cloverleaf-shaped east choir and striking crossing tower — built over Roman foundations.
Hacht (Prison)
Archbishop's court and prison on today's Cathedral Square — criminals were locked up here and women tried as witches.
Hänneschen-Theater
Cologne's beloved rod puppet theatre at Eisenmarkt, performing in the local Kölsch dialect since 1802 — home to iconic figures Tünnes and Schäl.
Hahnentorburg
since 1220Medieval twin-tower gate at Rudolfplatz — Cologne's western gateway, through which crowned kings entered the city after their coronation in Aachen.
Hansahochhaus
since 1925Cologne's first skyscraper from 1925 — briefly the tallest building in Europe at completion, built in the Brick Expressionist style.
Main Post Office
A grand historicist post office built 1888–1893 on the ruins of Cologne's former Dominican monastery — demolished in the 1990s.
Haus Balchem
The only surviving Baroque house in the Severinsviertel, its statement bay window on Corinthian columns still turns heads on Severinstraße today.
Haus Hindenburg
Neoclassical corner building at Schildergasse and Neumarkt in Cologne, a listed historic monument since 1993.
Haus Neuerburg
Brick building on Gülichplatz disguised as two townhouses, with a stair tower in the courtyard echoing Cologne's old patrician houses.
Haus Saaleck
Medieval Cologne townhouse with late-Gothic corner turrets – today home to the city's Artothek, a lending library for art.
Heiligkreuzkapelle
Small 14th-century Cologne chapel whose south wall rested on the Roman city wall — demolished in 1818.
Heinzelmännchen – Cologne's Household Spirits and Their Fountain
since 1900Cologne's legendary household sprites who worked through the night while citizens slept — caught once, gone forever. Their fountain stands near the Cathedral.
Herz-Jesu-Kirche
Neo-Gothic church on Zülpicher Platz whose tower was modelled on Freiburg Minster — rebuilt in a modern form after wartime destruction.
Heumarkt
Cologne's second-largest square and one of its oldest — built on a former Rhine island, hence its historic name 'Inselmarkt' (Island Market).
Hildebold Cathedral
Carolingian predecessor of Cologne Cathedral, which housed the relics of the Three Kings until its demolition in 1248.
Historical Archive with Rhenish Image Archive
since 1857Germany's largest municipal archive — collapsed during subway construction in 2009, reopened in a new building at Eifelwall in 2021.
Hohe Pforte
Southern gate of Cologne's Roman city wall on the 'cardo maximus' — the origin of today's Hohe Straße.
Hohe Straße
The Hohe Straße is one of Cologne's best-known shopping streets, running as a pedestrian zone through the heart of the Altstadt-Nord district. Its history goes all the way back to Roman times, when it formed the main north-south axis of the ancient city.
Hohenstaufenbad
Cologne's largest public swimming bath: a grand building on Hohenstaufenring — not lost to the war, but deliberately demolished in 1958.
Hohenzollernbrücke
since 1911Germany's busiest railway bridge spanning the Rhine — a defining feature of Cologne's skyline alongside the Cathedral, and famous for thousands of love locks.
Hotel du Nord
Vanished 19th/20th-century Cologne grand hotel — Museum Ludwig and Heinrich-Böll-Platz now occupy its former site.
Hotel Kölner Hof
Grand late-19th-century Cologne hotel opposite the main station, demolished in 1973 to make way for the ABC-Haus office building.
Humboldtpark
A listed 2.2-hectare park designed by Fritz Encke in 1913/14 — one of the few inner-city green spaces in the Kalk district of Cologne.
Industriehof
Landmarked 1923 office and commercial building in Cologne, built by architect Jacob Koerfer on his own initiative.
Institut français Köln
since 1952French cultural institute in Cologne's Südstadt — one of the first and now one of the last of its kind in western Germany; housed in Riphahn's 1952 building.
Japanese Cultural Institute
since 1969One of only three Japanese cultural institutes in Europe — Cologne's gateway to Japanese culture for the entire German-speaking world.
Court Building at Appellhofplatz (Appellhof)
since 1893Cologne's oldest court building – a monument to Rhenish legal history, from the Court of Appeal through the Nazi-era special courts to today's seat of the administrative and fiscal courts.
Cologne Justice Center
105-metre court tower in Cologne-Sülz housing the local and regional courts plus the public prosecutor's office on Luxemburger Straße.
Käthe Kollwitz Museum
since 1985Home to the world's largest Käthe Kollwitz collection, this Cologne museum brings together her drawings, prints, and all 15 known bronze sculptures.
Kallendresser
Copper figure at Alter Markt that bares its backside to onlookers — a Cologne satirical motif with roots in the Middle Ages.
Karmel St. Joseph Cologne
Former Carmelite convent whose neo-Gothic chapel survives only as a truncated core embedded within a modern office complex.
Karmelite Monastery Cologne
Former Carmelite monastery south of Cologne's Waidmarkt, founded in 1256 and secularized in 1802 – the female Carmelite branch still exists in Cologne today.
Kartäuserkirche
since 1350Gothic church of the 1334 Cologne Charterhouse — now an Evangelical parish church with stained-glass windows by Charles Crodel.
Kaufhaus Isay
Listed early-20th-century office and commercial building in Cologne, built 1911–1913 by Helbig & Klöckner for textile wholesaler Gebrüder Isay.
The Poor Clares' Convent of St. Clare in Cologne
A convent of Poor Clares by today's Roman Tower, documented from 1306 until its dissolution in the 1802 secularization.
Klein St. Martin
since 1460A lone tower surviving from a demolished Cologne parish church — once crowned with a tall Gothic spire visible across the Rhine skyline, today capped by a flat pyramid.
Klingelpützpark
Park on the site of the demolished Klingelpütz prison — with a memorial stone honouring more than 1,000 victims of Nazi-era justice.
Kloster Herrenleichnam
An Augustinian canon monastery on Klingelpütz in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord, founded around a chapel commemorating a Eucharistic miracle.
Discalced Carmelite Monastery im Dau, Cologne
Founded in 1614 as the first Discalced Carmelite house in what is now Germany — today only the street „Im Dau" recalls it.
St. Gertrude's Convent (Old Cologne)
Former Dominican nuns' convent at the northwest corner of Neumarkt, founded before 1257 and dissolved in 1802.
Klüngelpütz Kabarett-Theater
Cologne's only cellar cabaret theater from the 1960s still performing in its original space — a home for political-literary satire.
Köln Arcaden
Cologne's first shopping mall on the right bank of the Rhine, built on the site of a former chemical plant in Kalk.
Cologne Bridge Green
The patina-green chromium oxide hue coating Cologne's Rhine bridges, introduced in 1929 at the request of Konrad Adenauer.
Cologne Cathedral
since 1248Gothic cathedral and shrine of the Three Kings — at around 157 metres one of the tallest churches in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kölner Dreigestirn
Trio of Prince, Peasant, and Virgin that leads Cologne Carnival — appointed fresh each year by the Festival Committee.
Cologne Ghost Parade
since 1991Alternative carnival procession and political demonstration: since 1991, it winds through changing Cologne neighborhoods without a formal permit.
Kölner Karnevalsmuseum
Germany's largest carnival museum in Cologne-Ehrenfeld – tracing carnival history from antiquity to the present (currently closed).
Cologne Crosiers (Schildergasse), Cologne
A Crosier Order house on Schildergasse founded in 1309, famed for its surviving library of 97 medieval manuscripts, the "Libelli Rhenani."
Cologne Mikveh
Medieval Jewish ritual bath beneath the Rathausplatz: the staircase descends inside the nearly 16-metre-deep shaft all the way to the water level.
Kölner Philharmonie
since 1986Amphitheatre-style concert hall beneath Heinrich-Böll-Platz — a column-free auditorium for 2,000 with a celebrated Klais organ.
Cologne Rose Monday Parade
since 1823 approx. 1 M visitorsGermany's largest and oldest Rose Monday parade — the "Zoch" has wound its way through Cologne for eight kilometres since 1823.
Kölner Schull- un Veedelszöch
Sunday carnival parade where schools, local clubs, and neighborhood groups march through Cologne's city center and the Vringsveedel.
Kölner Weinmuseum
since 2010Wine and oenology museum in Cologne with a walkable rooftop vineyard — over 40 grape varieties across 720 vines.
Kölnisch Wasser
Cologne's iconic fragrance water, created by Farina in 1709 as Eau de Cologne — home to the legendary brands 'Farina gegenüber' and 4711.
Cologne City Museum
since 1888Cologne's urban history museum, open for over 130 years — since 2024 it organises its collection around emotions rather than chronology; currently in temporary premises.
KölnTriangle
Triangular skyscraper in Cologne-Deutz with a fully glazed observation deck "Cologne View" at just over 100 metres, offering panoramic views across the city.
KölnTurm
since 2001Cologne's tallest office building in the Mediapark (148.1 m) — glass façade with fired-on cathedral motifs and a rooftop terrace on the 30th floor open to restaurant guests.
Kölner Klüngel
Cologne's cultural term for a web of mutual favors — straddling the line between harmless back-scratching and outright cronyism, with roots going back centuries.
Kolumba
since 1853Peter Zumthor's landmark brick building for the Archdiocese of Cologne's art museum, built over the ruins of the war-destroyed church of St. Columba.
Konrad Adenauer Monument
since 1995A bronze statue near Neumarkt honouring Konrad Adenauer as Cologne's mayor and Germany's first chancellor.
Kumede
Cologne theatre troupe performing exclusively in the Kölsch dialect since 1947 — today at the Volksbühne am Rudolfplatz.
Landgericht Köln
One of Germany's largest regional courts – with a press chamber that journalists consider the strictest in the country.
Lanxess Arena
since 1998Germany's largest arena and one of the biggest worldwide — in 2025, over 2.6 million visitors attended 208 events in Cologne-Deutz.
Lanxess Tower
since 1969Striking 95-metre office tower in Cologne-Deutz, originally built as Lufthansa's headquarters and now home to the global HQ of Lanxess AG.
Lentpark
Combined ice sports and swimming complex in Cologne's Neustadt — with a 260-metre elevated ice track and a chlorine-free natural swimming pond.
Linneper Hof (Reifferscheider Hof), Cologne
Former noble courtyard on Cologne Cathedral's precinct, originally the archbishops' residence — demolished in the 1740s, now part of the Roman-Germanic Museum grounds.
Literaturhaus Köln
since 1996A stage for contemporary literature in the medieval Haus Bachem – with some 700 members, one of Germany's largest literature houses.
Lutherkirche
since 1904Protestant church in Cologne's Südstadt, its bells inscribed with Luther's chorale – bombed to its tower in 1944, deconsecration planned for autumn 2026.
Malakoffturm
since 1855Brick gatehouse of Prussian Rhine fortifications at Rheinauhafen — now linked by a swing bridge to the Chocolate Museum across the water.
Margarethenkloster
Despite its name, this was no monastery but a hospital of Cologne Cathedral's chapter, founded in the 7th century by Bishop Kunibert – now recalled only by a street name.
Maria im Spiegel (Sion Convent), Cologne
Former Cologne Cistercian convent, popularly known as Sion Convent, founded in 1246 on the site of an earlier Franciscan settlement.
St. Maria Magdalena zur Busse (Bethlehem Convent), Cologne
A former beguine community on the Eigelstein that became an Augustinian convent in 1475, surviving until secularization in 1802.
Markmannsgasse 2a
Cologne commercial building 'Zu den Vier Jahreszeiten', demolished in 1912 for the Deutz Bridge ramp, blending three Renaissance traditions.
MediaPark
Car-free media business park on a former freight yard — built around a central square with an artificial lake, crowned by the soaring Kölnturm.
Messeturm Köln
since 1928An 85-metre brick tower from 1928 in Deutz — crowned by a three-faced Hermes sculpture and united with the Rheinhallen by its striking Expressionist façade.
Millowitsch-Theater / Volksbühne am Rudolfplatz
In 1953 this stage hosted Germany's first live TV broadcast of a theatre play — the Millowitsch family's dialect theatre, now the Volksbühne am Rudolfplatz.
Minoritenkirche
Burial church of Adolph Kolping and Johannes Duns Scotus — a 13th-century Gothic mendicant church and place of pilgrimage.
Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK)
since 1888Cologne museum of applied arts and design in the Schwarz-Bernard building — once dismissed as sterile, later celebrated as a 'third way' in postwar architecture.
Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte
since 1907City museum founded in 1907 in the Bayenturm, covering regional prehistory – destroyed in 1943, its remnants became the founding stock of the Romano-Germanic Museum.
Museum Ludwig
since 197620th- and 21st-century art on Cologne's Cathedral Plateau — home to Europe's largest Pop Art collection and the world's third-largest Picasso collection.
Museum Schnütgen
since 1910One of Europe's richest medieval collections, housed in the Romanesque basilica of St. Cecilia in Cologne's historic city centre.
Musical Dome
Musical venue under a blue dome roof by the Rhine near Cologne's main station — home to long-running hits like 'We Will Rock You'.
Neu St. Alban
since 1958Post-war church in the Stadtgarten built from rubble bricks of the destroyed Cologne Opera, with a pentagonal floor plan inspired by Le Corbusier.
Neumarkt
Cologne's largest square at over 27,000 m² — once a livestock market, execution ground, and legendary witches' sabbath site, with Roman remains beneath.
NS-Dokumentationszentrum (EL-DE-Haus)
since 1979Memorial and museum in Cologne's former Gestapo headquarters — with preserved prison cells and prisoners' wall inscriptions surviving in the basement.
Nubbel
A life-size straw effigy that serves as the scapegoat of Rhineland carnival, burned in the night before Ash Wednesday.
Oberpostdirektion Köln
Regional postal authority for the Cologne area from 1850 to 1993, headquartered in the Altstadt-Nord district.
Offenbachplatz
The theatre square in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord, fronting the Opera House and Schauspielhaus, centred on the long-neglected Opernbrunnen by Jürgen Hans Grümmer.
Olivandenhof
Commercial building in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord with a climbing wall, rain and cold chamber, and diving pool – Europe's largest outdoor specialty store.
Oper Köln
Cologne's opera house at Offenbachplatz — a 1957 Riphahn landmark under major renovation since 2012, now performing at the Staatenhaus in Deutz.
Opern Passagen
Opened in 1964 as Germany's first shopping arcade — today a shopping passage with the integrated Theater am Dom.
Opernbrunnen
since 1966Mosaic fountain in front of Cologne's Opera House, incorporating tiles from Aristotle Onassis's yacht and the bombed-out Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.
Opera House on Habsburgerring
One of the largest municipal theaters in the German Empire – opened in Cologne's Neustadt in 1902, demolished in 1958 after wartime destruction.
Opernterrassen
A 1957 dining pavilion by Wilhelm Riphahn — a rare surviving witness to Cologne's 1950s architecture at Offenbachplatz.
Pelzhaus A. Weiss
Former Cologne fur shop on Schildergasse, remembered today for its striking Klotz & Fieth commercial building, still standing.
Peristyle House with the Dionysus Mosaic
Roman townhouse by Cologne Cathedral, its dining room floor paved with a 1.5-million-tile mosaic of the wine god Dionysus.
Pfaffenpforte (North Gate)
since 100Cologne's Roman north gate – once a three-arched main entrance, today preserved as a fragment on the Domplatte and in the Roman-Germanic Museum.
Parish Church of Christ's Resurrection
Old Catholic parish church in Cologne's Südstadt — a red steel frame on its 1990s successor traces the silhouette of the wartime predecessor at full scale.
Roman Cologne – Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
The birthplace of Cologne: the Roman CCAA, capital of Lower Germania — and today part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historic City Hall
Germany's oldest city hall – with a Gothic council tower, a Renaissance loggia, and over 800 years of documented building history in Cologne's Old Town.
Rathenauplatz
Cologne's leafy Südstadt park with a plane-tree avenue, a popular beer garden, and a name that mirrors Germany's turbulent 20th century.
Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum
since 1901Cologne's ethnological museum with over 65,000 objects from around the world, exploring human cultures under the theme "The Human Being in Their Worlds."
Rex am Ring
One of Germany's oldest cinemas, open since 1928 on Hohenzollernring — seven screens showing new releases and arthouse films.
Rheinauhafen
Former Cologne harbour with the iconic Crane Houses – today a residential and commercial quarter on the 'Werthchen' peninsula in Altstadt-Süd.
Rheinpark
Riverside landscape park on former Prussian fortress grounds — host of the 1914 Cologne Werkbund Exhibition, listed as a heritage monument since 1989.
Richmodis-Haus
Cologne landmark with two stone horse heads in its octagonal tower — rooted in the haunting legend of Richmodis von Aducht from the Black Death era.
Römerturm
The best-preserved tower of Cologne's Roman city wall, built around 50 AD and decorated on its outer face with an elaborate mosaic of natural stones.
Romano-Germanic Museum (RGM)
since 1946Cologne's archaeological museum — world's largest collection of Roman glass and the Dionysus Mosaic near the cathedral (currently at the Belgian House).
Roman Baths and Medieval Bathhouses in Cologne
Foundations of a 2nd/3rd-century Roman bath complex unearthed in 2007 beneath Cologne's Altstadt-Süd — including an 18-metre-wide rotunda.
Roncalliplatz
The square around Cologne Cathedral traces a dramatic transformation from a densely built medieval neighbourhood to an open national monument.
Rosengarten
since 1919Symmetrical rose garden on the former Fort X, with over 70 rose varieties and a pergola-style pavilion at the heart of Hilde-Domin-Park.
Schauburg
Cologne cinema opened in 1922 that was, with 1,868 seats, the largest in Germany at the time.
Schauspiel Köln
since 1898Cologne's storied spoken-theatre company, performing at the Mülheim Depot while its landmark home at Offenbachplatz undergoes renovation.
Senftöpfchen
Cologne's beloved cabaret and variety theatre — a launchpad for comedy talent since the 1970s with a reputation that reaches far beyond Germany.
Severinsbrücke
since 1959Cable-stayed bridge with a single A-shaped pylon over the Rhine to Deutz — Cologne's first entirely new bridge built after World War II.
Severinstorburg
since 1230One of only four surviving medieval city gate towers in Cologne — a landmark of the Severinsviertel and today a vibrant community venue at Chlodwigplatz.
Sporthalle
since 1958Cologne's main arena for over four decades, with a permanent velodrome — stage for six-day races, boxing, and rock concerts, demolished in 1999.
St. Agnes
since 1896Cologne's largest church after the Cathedral: a Neo-Gothic hall church that gave its name to the surrounding Agnesviertel district.
St. Albertus Magnus
Catholic church in Cologne-Lindenthal, known for a 1962 chancel-wall fresco by Cologne church painter Peter Hecker.
St. Andreas
since 974One of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque churches — home to the tomb of Albertus Magnus in its crypt and stained-glass art by Markus Lüpertz.
St. Apern Monastery
Former Cistercian convent in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord, named after St. Aper of Toul and dissolved in 1802.
St. Aposteln
since 1020One of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque churches — known for its trefoil-shaped trichoral apse at Neumarkt and celebrated as the city's premier music church.
St. Brigiden
A demolished parish church next to Gross St. Martin — its footprint is now traced in darker cobblestones on the Old Town pavement.
St. Cäcilien – Museum Schnütgen
since 801One of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque churches — home to the Museum Schnütgen for medieval art since 1956.
St. Christoph
Demolished parish church of St. Gereon's collegiate foundation — its name lives on in Christophstraße and the St. Christophhaus community centre.
St. Georg
since 105911th-century Romanesque collegiate church rising above a columned crypt with Roman spolia — one of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque basilicas.
St. Gereon
since 1201Romanesque church in Cologne with a ten-sided domed rotunda from the Hohenstaufen era — the largest surviving free-vaulted central-plan building of the Middle Ages north of the Alps.
St. Gertrud
Brutalist church by Gottfried Böhm in the Agnesviertel — a cave-like raw concrete structure that won the Cologne Architecture Prize in 1967.
St. Gregorius im Elend
Baroque church rebuilt after WWII destruction, born from the 'Elendskirchhof' — Cologne's historic burial ground for strangers, outcasts, and the dishonoured.
St. Heribert
Parish church in Cologne-Deutz, nicknamed the "Düxer Dom" — home to the Heribert Shrine, completed around 1175.
St. Jakob
A lost Cologne parish church at the Waidmarkt, built in the 11th century under Archbishop Anno and standing until 1825.
St. Johann Evangelist
Demolished parish church that once stood south of Cologne Cathedral on the Domhof, serving for a time as the Archbishop's private chapel.
St. John and St. Cordula
Former Knights Hospitaller commandery in Cologne that housed the relics of Saint Cordula — demolished in 1807, its memory preserved in the street name "Jakorden".
St. John's Church (Deutz)
since 1859Protestant church from 1861 in Cologne-Deutz with an octagonal tower; gutted by fire in 1942 and gradually restored over the following decades.
St. Kolumba
since 1150'Madonna in the Ruins' — a medieval chapel enclosed within the ruins of a Gothic parish church, now embraced by the Kolumba art museum.
St. Kunibert
since 1215Youngest of Cologne's twelve Romanesque churches — with original 13th-century windows preserved in wartime storage, rising just north of the Cathedral.
St. Laurenz (Cologne Old Town)
since 1188Parish church demolished as early as 1818 — its legacy lives on in the street names Laurenzplatz and Laurenzgittergässchen in Cologne's city centre.
St. Lupus
Long-demolished medieval parish church with hospital near today's central station square — cited in Cologne's oldest written record of beer consumption.
St. Maria Ablass
since 1431Of the demolished parish church of St. Maria Ablass, only the chapel of grace survives — today the Russian Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helena.
St. Maria ad Ortum
Lost late-Romanesque convent church of Cologne's Cistercian nuns — the "Mariengarten" community grew from an earlier settlement in the Riehl district.
St. Maria im Kapitol
since 1100Cologne's largest and oldest Romanesque church — built on the foundations of a Roman temple, featuring a trefoil choir and a thousand-year-old carved wooden door.
St. Maria im Pesch
Long-demolished parish church of Cologne Cathedral's staff — its late-Gothic Entombment group survives today inside the Cathedral.
St. Maria in der Kupfergasse
since 1705Baroque pilgrimage church in Cologne's old town that has enclosed a Loreto chapel with its venerated Black Madonna since 1715.
St. Maria in Jerusalem
The Cologne city council's former chapel on today's Rathausplatz, created from the medieval synagogue after the expulsion of the city's Jewish population in 1424 — destroyed in the Second World War.
St. Maria in Lyskirchen
The smallest of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque churches — the only one with largely intact 13th-century vault frescoes.
St. Mariä Namen
A 1967/68 brick church in Cologne-Esch by Hans Schilling, where the font, altar, and tabernacle are aligned along a single axis.
St. Mariä Himmelfahrt
since 1629Baroque former Jesuit church near Cologne Cathedral — for centuries the city's largest after the Cathedral, and one of Cologne's few surviving Baroque landmarks.
St. Mauritius
Romanesque pier basilica in the Altstadt-Süd district, consecrated in 1141 — the first church in Cologne with a fully vaulted nave and side aisles.
St. Michael am Weidenbach
Cologne's second house of the Brothers of the Common Life, famed for its book production; its church fell to barracks expansion in 1827.
St. Pantaleon
since 1002Early Romanesque abbey church with an Ottonian westwork; burial site of Byzantine Empress Theophanu and Archbishop Bruno of Cologne.
St. Paul
Neo-Gothic parish church consecrated in 1908 in Cologne's Neustadt-Süd, whose construction was championed by chocolate manufacturer Ludwig Stollwerck.
St. Peter – Kunst-Station
since 1515Cologne's latest surviving Gothic church — and since 1987 a venue for contemporary art and new music, run by Jesuits.
St. Peter
Neo-Gothic Catholic hall church in Cologne-Neuehrenfeld with a 62-metre tower, affectionately known as the "Ihrefeld Cathedral."
St. Severin
One of Cologne's twelve great Romanesque churches, grown from a late-antique burial chapel — home to the relics of Saint Severin.
St. Ursula
since 401Romanesque basilica near Cologne Cathedral housing the Golden Chamber — the largest ossuary north of the Alps, with roots in Roman Cologne.
Stadtgarten
Cologne's first modern public park — and home to a renowned concert venue with a focus on jazz and over 400 events a year.
Stadttheater in der Glockengasse
Cologne's grand Neo-Renaissance theatre of 1872 for drama and operetta, lost to bombing in 1943.
Stunksitzung
Alternative cabaret carnival session in Cologne that deliberately breaks with formal traditions and provokes with political satire.
Taubenbrunnen
since 1953Cologne's first post-war fountain and the city's first abstract fountain: designed in 1953 by Ewald Mataré as a drinking trough for the Cathedral pigeons.
Tauzieher
since 1908Shell limestone sculpture at the Rheinauhafen — Cologne's first freestanding sculpture in public space, standing around 6½ metres tall.
Theater am Dom
since 1952Cologne's premier boulevard theatre for comedy, tucked inside the Opernpassagen — its name recalls a former home with a view of the cathedral.
Theater Tiefrot
Private chamber theatre in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord with up to 80 seats — an off-theatre stage balancing literary classics and political drama.
Thomaskirche
Protestant church in the Agnesviertel with an octagonal nave and pyramid ceiling – scheduled for deconsecration and demolition in autumn 2026.
TimeRide Cologne
VR time travel in Cologne's Old Town: a virtual tram ride through 1926 Cologne, experienced through a VR headset.
Trinitatiskirche
since 1860The oldest newly built Protestant church on Cologne's left bank of the Rhine — a classicist basilica inspired by northern Italian models.
TtE-Bücherei
Freely accessible library and archive of left-wing social movements at the Alte Feuerwache — holding citizens' initiative journals and a substantial collection of grey literature.
Tünnes und Schäl
Traditional Cologne brewhouse at Alter Markt, named after the beloved puppet duo from the Hänneschen Theatre — hearty local food and Kölsch on tap.
Ulrepforte
since 1230Cologne's smallest medieval land gate, dating from the 13th century — scene of a patrician feud in 1268 and today the home base of the Rote Funken carnival society.
Urania Theater
Cologne's first neighborhood theater in Ehrenfeld, now reborn as Theater&Ehrenfeld after decades of shifting names and uses.
Ursulinenkirche St. Corpus Christi
since 1709Baroque former convent church of the Cologne Ursulines, built in Venetian style by Matteo Alberti — now a school chapel and concert venue.
Volksgarten
13.9-hectare park in Cologne's Südstadt, built on a Prussian fort site, with a boating lake and preserved fortifications.
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud
Cologne's oldest museum — home to the world's most extensive collection of medieval painting and Germany's largest Impressionist collection.
Wallrafplatz
Historic square in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord between the Hohe Straße and the Cathedral, created around 1830 on the site of the demolished Dompropstei.
Wartesaal am Dom
since 1915A historic event venue inside Cologne's main station, combining a restaurant, bar and club for up to 1,000 guests.
WDR Arkaden
WDR building with an arcade-like façade by Gottfried Böhm — famous for live broadcasts of Cologne's Weiberfastnacht carnival kickoff.
Weiberfastnacht
On the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, women seize power for a day — the Rhineland's exuberant unofficial kickoff to street carnival season.
Weltstadthaus
since 2005Renzo Piano's glass department store on Schildergasse, affectionately nicknamed "the Whale" by Cologne's locals for its shape.
Westgate
Cologne office and retail building heated and cooled by its own groundwater system, crowned by a glass dome.
Weyertor
One of medieval Cologne's 14 great land-side city gates, guarding the southwestern approach since the 13th century — demolished in 1889.
