City history
228 places in Cologne
1. FC Köln
since 1948The 'Effzeh' is Cologne's big football club and, for many, a piece of the city's identity. Red and white, with the billy goat Hennes as a living mascot and an anthem sung in the stadium and at carnival alike.
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.
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. Katharina (Cologne-Niehl)
The "Niehler Dömchen": a 12th-century Romanesque basilica on the Rhine riverbank, featuring a Gothic choir and listed heritage status.
Alt St. Maternus
since 950Romanesque 'little chapel' on the Rhine — one of 13 small former village churches outside Cologne's medieval city walls.
Alt St. Mauritius (Cologne-Buchheim)
Romanesque cemetery chapel and surviving remnant of Buchheim's former parish church — featuring a semicircular apse from around 1200.
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.
Alte Wache (Waidmarkt)
A Prussian guardhouse from 1840/41 on the Waidmarkt, whose listed portico was dismantled and put into storage for possible reconstruction after the 2009 archive collapse.
Alte Wache am Zeughaus
A Prussian guardhouse from 1840/41 in Neoclassical Florentine style, rebuilt after wartime destruction and now used as a temporary exhibition space of the Cologne City Museum.
Old Ehrenfeld Cemetery
Listed 1870 cemetery that Ehrenfeld had to build for itself after Cologne refused its citizens burial at Melaten.
Alter Markt
Historic square in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord with a medieval-looking row of buildings — documented as Cologne's market since 922.
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.
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.
Beethovenpark
Natural landscape park in Sülz with a wide open meadow, playgrounds and a barbecue area — laid out in the 1920s as part of Cologne's Outer Green Belt.
Bismarck Monument (Augustinerplatz)
The second Bismarck statue in the German Empire — unveiled in 1879 in Catholic Cologne as a deliberate provocation, lost to war.
Bismarckturm
since 1902A Bismarck monument in Cologne-Marienburg designed as a fire column — featuring a monolithic figure of Bismarck as Roland in armour with an eagle shield.
Blücherpark
Strictly geometric people's park from 1911–1913 with a rectangular pond, rowing boats, and a boathouse terrace.
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.
Christi Auferstehung (Lindenthal)
since 1968Sculptural concrete church by Gottfried Böhm at the head of the Lindenthal Canal – with a cave-like interior of branching pillars.
Christuskirche
since 1891Protestant church in the Belgian Quarter: a historic Neo-Gothic tower fronting a nave that was newly consecrated in 2016.
Colonia-Haus
since 1973Germany's second-tallest residential skyscraper, right on the Rhine in Riehl — at 155 m with antenna, almost as tall as Cologne Cathedral (157 m).
Colonius
since 1981At 266 metres, the tallest telecommunications tower in North Rhine-Westphalia — its revolving restaurant and observation deck have been closed for years.
Decksteiner Weiher
since 1929Artificial rowing lake in Cologne's Outer Green Belt — 5.8 km loop trail, boat hire, and a goshawk breeding site on its island since 1987.
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.
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-Kalker Bad
since 1913A listed Art Nouveau indoor swimming hall from 1913 in Cologne-Deutz. Public bathing ended in 1996; the magnificent pool hall has been preserved.
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.
Deutzer Gierponte
since 1674Historic cable ferry that linked Cologne-Deutz with the Old Town from 1674 to 1822 – no longer in existence today.
Deutzer Schiffbrücke (Deutz Pontoon Bridge)
since 1822Historic pontoon bridge that linked the Rhine banks between Cologne and Deutz from 1822 to 1915 – no longer standing today.
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.
Dombrücke
since 1859Cologne's first permanent Rhine crossing since Roman times and direct predecessor of the Hohenzollern Bridge — nicknamed the 'Mousetrap' by locals.
DOMiD – Documentation Centre and Museum on Migration in Germany
Civil-society archive of German migration history since 1945, founded in 1990 by migrants and home to over 150,000 objects, documents, and photographs.
Dominican Monastery Cologne
Where Albertus Magnus taught and was buried: one of Germany's earliest Dominican monasteries, now lost to history.
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.
Düxer Bock
The unofficial heraldic animal of Deutz: this fountain monument commemorates an old Cologne legend about a tailor and a tax collector.
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.
Excelsior Hotel Ernst
since 1863Storied five-star grand hotel dating from 1863, standing right beside Cologne Cathedral and family-owned for six generations.
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.
Flehbach
A right-bank Rhine tributary with highly variable flow — swollen after rain, yet sometimes bone-dry in summer.
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.
Forstbotanischer Garten Köln
Botanical garden in Cologne's south showcasing trees and shrubs from around the world — from a rhododendron ravine and Japanese garden to North American giant sequoias.
Fort X of the Cologne Fortification Ring
since 1819The best-preserved Prussian fort of Cologne's inner defensive ring — now a 'green fort' with a rose garden set within a generous parkland in Neustadt-Nord.
Frankenforstbach
Around 10 km long stream flowing from Bergisch Gladbach into right-bank Cologne, changing names several times before joining the Flehbach.
Frauenbrunnen
A 1987 terracotta fountain in the courtyard of the „An Farina“ complex, showing ten Cologne women from two millennia of city history as representatives of their era.
Friedenskirche (Köln-Mülheim)
since 1896Oldest Protestant church building in present-day Cologne – named after the peaceful union of two congregations in 1837.
Friedenspark
Cologne city park on the grounds of former Fort I — featuring ivy-covered fortress walls, a rose garden, and a WWI monument with an eagle cast from cannons.
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.
Volkspark Raderthal
Laid out by Fritz Encke from 1922, this listed park features a natural theatre, reading garden and dance lawn — a landmark of social green space in Cologne's south.
Galopprennbahn Weidenpesch
Cologne's oldest sports venue: a gallop racecourse open since 1898, hosting internationally significant races and a landmark-listed historic football stand.
Gereon-Kaserne
since 1937Bundeswehr barracks in Cologne housing the military leadership assessment centre — renamed from Mudra-Kaserne in 2022.
© 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.
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.
Gremberger Wäldchen
Urban woodland in Cologne-Humboldt, home to what is believed to be the city's oldest tree — a copper beech dating back to the early 18th century.
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.
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.
Helios (Electrical Engineering Company)
since 1882Electrical engineering pioneer from Ehrenfeld — its 44 m Heliosturm, a faux lighthouse, still defines the neighbourhood today.
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.
Hiroshima-Nagasaki-Park
since 2004Memorial park in Cologne's Inner Green Belt commemorating the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a monument featuring an origami crane.
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 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.
Idiotenbrücke
Nickname of a former Cologne railway bridge in Neuehrenfeld, where trucks repeatedly got wedged due to a clearance of only 3.9 m.
Jahndenkmal
A 15-metre concrete pillar crowned by the Turner Cross of four "F"s — erected at Jahnwiese to mark the 150th birthday of gymnastics pioneer Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.
Jan-Wellem-Denkmal
Bronze statue of Elector Jan Wellem in Cologne-Mülheim, donated in 1914 by the Andreae manufacturing family amid the controversy over the district's annexation.
Jewish Welfare Center
Jewish social facility of the Cologne Synagogue Community in Neuehrenfeld — housed in the historic buildings of the former Israelite Asylum for the Sick and Elderly.
Kalker Kapelle
A pilgrimage chapel in Cologne's Kalk district, home to a 15th-century Pietà said to have miraculous powers — a destination for annual processions for centuries.
Kallendresser
Copper figure at Alter Markt that bares its backside to onlookers — a Cologne satirical motif with roots in the Middle Ages.
Kartäuserkirche
since 1350Gothic church of the 1334 Cologne Charterhouse — now an Evangelical parish church with stained-glass windows by Charles Crodel.
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.
Klettenbergpark
A hilltop park in a former gravel pit, deliberately shaped as a nature garden — combining heathland, a lake, quarries and a rose garden in Cologne's Klettenberg.
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.
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.
Kölner Festungsmuseum
Volunteer-run museum in Prussian fortification VIII b — home to Germany's last surviving drawbridge, moat, and sculpture park in Marienburg.
Kölner Karnevalsmuseum
Germany's largest carnival museum in Cologne-Ehrenfeld – tracing carnival history from antiquity to the present (currently closed).
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.
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.
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.
Kölsch
A pale, filtered, top-fermented beer that may only be brewed in Cologne and its immediate surroundings — governed by the Kölsch Convention.
Kölsch (Language)
The Ripuarian dialect of Cologne – warm, witty and still very much alive in music, carnival and everyday life.
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.
The Rhineland Grundgesetz
Eleven Rhineland life rules in dialect, compiled by Konrad Beikircher in 2001 as the 'Rhineland Grundgesetz' — a playful nod to Germany's own Basic Law.
Krieler Dömchen
since 850Cologne's second-oldest church after St. Gereon — a small Romanesque village chapel in Lindenthal with roots stretching back to around 900 AD.
Landgericht Köln
One of Germany's largest regional courts – with a press chamber that journalists consider the strictest in the country.
Landschaftspark Belvedere
Park in Cologne's west that completes the Outer Green Belt — home to four viewing platforms and Germany's oldest surviving railway station.
Lenauplatz
Neighbourhood square in Neuehrenfeld with the Max-and-Moritz Fountain — lined with lime trees and framed by Gründerzeit townhouses.
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.
Memorial for the Gay and Lesbian Victims of National Socialism in Cologne
since 1995First memorial of its kind erected by a trade union — a 1995 riverside stone for gay and lesbian Nazi victims, inscribed 'Totgeschlagen – Totgeschwiegen'.
Malakoffturm
since 1855Brick gatehouse of Prussian Rhine fortifications at Rheinauhafen — now linked by a swing bridge to the Chocolate Museum across the water.
A Landmark in Cologne's Citizens' Fight for Independence
Memorial in Worringen commemorating the 1288 Battle of Worringen — a landmark moment in Cologne's citizens' struggle for independence.
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.
Melanchthonkirche
Protestant church from 1929/30 in Zollstock — one of Germany's early examples with the worship hall upstairs and a community centre below.
Merheimer Heide
A right-bank Cologne green space born from plans for the Outer Green Belt — meadows, woodland, and a variety of sports facilities.
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.
Mülheimer Brücke
since 1951Rhine suspension bridge between Mülheim and Riehl — the origin of Cologne's iconic bridge-green colour and Germany's first bridge with an orthotropic deck.
Mülheimer Schiffbrücke
since 1888Floating timber bridge on some 40 anchored pontoons (1888–1927), with an opening section for river traffic, that replaced the Rhine ferry crossing at Mülheim.
Mülheimer Stadtgarten
Historic public park in Cologne-Mülheim, established 1912/13 — featuring a lake, sweeping lawns, and the 1914 Fairy-Tale Fountain. Listed landmark.
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.
Neptunbad
Art Nouveau bathhouse from 1912 in Ehrenfeld — Cologne's first modern suburban public bath, now a fitness and wellness centre.
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.
Nikolaus-Kapelle
Built around 1100 near the Rhine in Westhoven — Cologne's smallest surviving Romanesque village chapel, enclosed by an ancient churchyard.
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.
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.
Oper Köln
Cologne's opera house at Offenbachplatz — a 1957 Riphahn landmark under major renovation since 2012, now performing at the Staatenhaus in Deutz.
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.
Poller Heimatmuseum
since 2015A private local history and information centre for Köln-Poll, featuring a picture exhibition at the Sportspark Cologne and information boards along the Rhine.
Poller Köpfe
Historic riverbank fortification on the right bank of the Rhine — built over 250 years to keep the river from carving a new course around Cologne.
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.
Presbyterian Church (Kalk)
Neo-Gothic evangelical parish church in Cologne-Kalk, demolished in 1951 to make way for the expansion of the Chemische Fabrik Kalk.
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.
Equestrian Statue of Frederick William IV
Bronze equestrian monument by Gustav Blaeser at the right-bank portal of the Hohenzollern Bridge, unveiled in 1867.
Rheinauhafen
Former Cologne harbour with the iconic Crane Houses – today a residential and commercial quarter on the 'Werthchen' peninsula in Altstadt-Süd.
Cologne-Rodenkirchen Rhine Bridge
since 1941Germany's first true suspension bridge: 567 m across the Rhine, opened in 1941 as the 'Adolf Hitler Bridge,' destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in 1954.
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.
Römerbrücke
since 310The first permanent bridge across the Rhine near Cologne — built under Emperor Constantine I from 310 AD, at the site of today's Deutzer Brücke.
Roman Tomb Cologne-Weiden
Underground Roman burial chamber from the 2nd century — one of the best-preserved funerary structures north of the Alps, discovered in 1843.
Römerpark
since 1898A heritage-listed city park in Neustadt-Süd, established in 1898 – once the "front garden" of the business college and the first seat of the University of Cologne.
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).
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.
Schauspiel Köln
since 1898Cologne's storied spoken-theatre company, performing at the Mülheim Depot while its landmark home at Offenbachplatz undergoes renovation.
Leaning Tower of Cologne (St. Johann Baptist)
In 2004, its 44 m tower tilted 77 cm westward — earning the church the nickname 'Leaning Tower of Cologne' and making international headlines.
Servitinnenkloster St. Lucia in Cologne
Convent of the Servite Sisters on Filzengraben, dissolved in 1802 and demolished in 1857 — today the site is home to the Protestant Trinity Church.
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. 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. 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. Clemens (Cologne-Mülheim)
A former sailors' church on the Rhine in Cologne-Mülheim, rooted in a Romanesque hall church built in the 12th and 13th centuries.
St. Cosmas und Damian (Köln-Weiler)
Parish church in Köln-Weiler whose Baroque predecessor from 1766 has been preserved; the 1910 organ was restored to its original specification in 2007.
St. Engelbert
since 1930Cologne's first modern church: Dominikus Böhm's central-plan building with a star-shaped dome, built 1930–1932 in Riehl.
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. 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. Hubertus (Cologne-Brück)
since 1931A Roman Catholic hall church from 1930/31 in the modernist style — home to a 15th-century Madonna statue and original stained-glass windows from 1931.
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 Gradus
since 1062Demolished Romanesque collegiate church east of Cologne Cathedral — today only the 'Cathedral Column' at the east choir survives as a reminder.
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. Maternus
since 1863Neo-Gothic brick church in Rodenkirchen housing an American pipe organ from 1869 and hosting an annual Maternus pilgrimage every September.
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. Nikolaus (Cologne-Dünnwald)
since 1150Romanesque basilica from 1117/1118, once a Premonstratensian canonesses' convent — with a twin-tower façade until the 16th century.
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. Remigius
Neoclassical former parish church in Sürth (1825–1830) blending ancient and medieval forms, preserving baroque furnishings rescued from a demolished Cologne church.
St. Servatius
The Catholic parish church of Cologne's Immendorf district, on the "Heidenberg" hill, built 1873/74 on the site of several older predecessor buildings.
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. Severin (Lövenich)
Romanesque pillar basilica in Cologne's Lövenich district, named after Severin of Cologne and rooted in the 12th century — though heavily remodelled in the 1800s.
St. Stephan
A church in Cologne's Lindenthal district: the 1887 Neo-Gothic building was destroyed in the war and replaced in 1961 by a modern glass church that incorporates the old tower.
St. Theodor
A modern circular building of ochre-coloured concrete above a community-use ground floor — defined by the vision of parish priest Franz Meurer.
St. Ursula
since 401Romanesque basilica near Cologne Cathedral housing the Golden Chamber — the largest ossuary north of the Alps, with roots in Roman Cologne.
Stadtbibliothek Köln
since 1890One of Germany's largest public libraries with around 850,000 items — currently operating from a temporary location on Hohe Straße during major renovations.
Stellwerk Köln-Dünnwald
Railway signalling museum in Dünnwald preserving a rare DrS2 interlocking, one of Germany's first electronic signal boxes, and a working operations simulator.
Thielenbruch Tram Museum
since 1997Historic Cologne trams in a 1906 depot hall — including the fully operational 'Finchen', which still runs to Frechen today.
Strunde
Stream in the Bergisches Land that once powered the region's industry — today partly restored to daylight, partly still flowing through underground pipes.
Südbrücke
since 1946Steel three-arch railway bridge from 1910 spanning the Rhine, primarily for freight traffic, with pedestrian and cycle paths; listed heritage structure.
Takuplatz
Triangular square in Neuehrenfeld's "Chinese Quarter" — the centre serves as a pétanque court on a former tram turning loop.
Tanzbrunnen
Cologne's open-air venue — home to up to 12,500 concertgoers beneath Frei Otto's iconic star-wave tent, inspired by a dancing fountain from 1950.
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.
Tersteegenhaus
Protestant church in Cologne-Sülz, consecrated in 1928 as a community hall — its former event hall now serves as a worship space with chairs arranged in a circle around the altar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Weiberfastnacht
On the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, women seize power for a day — the Rhineland's exuberant unofficial kickoff to street carnival season.
Weyertor
One of medieval Cologne's 14 great land-side city gates, guarding the southwestern approach since the 13th century — demolished in 1889.
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.
