Herkules High-Rise

A colourful 1972 residential tower in Neuehrenfeld – with its brightly enamelled façade, an unmistakable eye-catcher.

The Herkules High-Rise in Neuehrenfeld is, at 102 metres, one of Cologne's tallest buildings. It is famous above all for its colourful, brightly enamelled façade.

At a glance

Completed: 1972
Height: 102 metres
Architect: Peter Neufert
Notable: a façade of blue, orange, red and lilac metal panels

Source: Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-06-24

Colour in the skyline

Planned as Cologne's first "super residential building", the Herkules High-Rise was meant to create new housing near the city centre. Its striking multicoloured enamelled cladding and the free rhythm of its windows make it an unmistakable eye-catcher and a much-loved example of 1970s architecture.

Blick vom Helios-Leuchtturm über Köln-Ehrenfeld — © Superbass · CC BY-SA 3.0

Gallery

Ballonfahrt über Köln - Sonnenaufgang über der Ehrenfelder Skyline - Herkules-Hochhaus, Colonius, Herkulesberg — © Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Cologne, Innere Kanalstrasse. View to North. DITIB mosque, Herkules skyscraper, Telecommunications tower Colonius. — © Achim Stump · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Mediapark mit KölnTurm, im Hintergrund der Colonius-Fernsehturm und Herkuleshochhaus — © Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Wohnhochhäuser Graeffstraße 3 und 5, Herkules-Hochhaus — © Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Köln-Ehrefeld und der Kölner Norden mit dem Herkuleshochhaus im Vordergrund — © Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Mediapark mit KölnTurm, im Hintergrund der Colonius-Fernsehturm und das Herkuleshochhaus — © Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Map

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Address

Graeffstraße 1-5
50823 Köln

Hours

So: 00:00–24:00

Contact

0221 519899

Closed📍 380 m Colonius

Colonius

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📍 1.3 km

Hansa High-Rise

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One of Germany's first high-rises, from 1925 on the Hansaring – a listed masterpiece of brick Expressionism.

📍 700 m

KölnTurm

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At 148 metres, Cologne's tallest office tower in the MediaPark – with a 30th-floor roof terrace and a wide view over the city.

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Sources & links

🌐 Official website
Official website (retrieved 2026-06-25)
Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-24)
Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-24, rev 267685230)

Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-23

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Herkules High-Rise

At a glance

Colour in the skyline

Gallery