The article about perfume can be found at Eau de Cologne.

Map of Germany showing Cologne

Cologne (German: Köln [kœln]) (population 965,954 as of December 31, 2003), is the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the North Rhine-Westphalia state. It is the 16th largest city in the European Union. It is one of the most important German inland ports, and considered the economic, cultural, and historic capital of the Rhineland.

Its location at the intersection of the Rhine (German Rhein) river with one of the major trade routes between eastern and western Europe was the foundation of Cologne's commercial importance. In the Middle Ages it also became an ecclesiastical center of significance and an important center of art and learning. Cologne was badly damaged during World War II.

Today, it is the seat of the largest university in Germany, which is renowned for its economics faculty, and the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal. Cologne cathedral (German Kölner Dom), the largest Gothic church in northern Europe, was designated a World Heritage site in 1996; it is the city's major landmark and unofficial symbol. The city is 43% Roman Catholic, 18% Protestant and 39% other religions. Until World War II and the following stream of refugees arriving from Eastern Germany, Roman Catholicism had a wide majority in Cologne.

Cologne has 31 museums. In addition to the university, it has 3 colleges. The biggest, Fachhochschule Köln (The University of Applied Sciences of Cologne) is the biggest college in Germany, with 18,000 students. A total of 65,000 students study in Cologne.

20% of Cologne's population is non-German. 40% of these are Turkish.

Cologne is well known for its beer, Kölsch beer. Kölsch is also the dialect of Cologne. It is jokingly said that Kölsch is the only language you can drink.

Geography

The city covers about 405.15 km² (about 156 miles²), is located at 50° 56′33" North 06° 57′32" East and is between 37.5 and 118.04 m above sea level. Its auto registration prefix is K.

Coat of arms of Cologne

The Coat of Arms of Cologne

The three crowns symbolise the Magi or Three Kings whose bones are said to be kept in a gold sarcophagus in the Cathedral (see Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral). The eleven flames are a reminder of the Britannic princess St. Ursula and her legendary 11,000 virgin companions who were supposedly martyred at Cologne for their Christian faith by Attila the Hun in 383 A.D. In reality it was probably just 11 companions.

History

Cologne devastated in 1945

Cologne cathedral

Main article: History of Cologne

Cologne is the oldest major city in Germany; it became a city in 50 A.D. It got a bishop early, and in 785 became the seat of an archbishop. The Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled a large area as a secular lord in the Middle Ages, but in 1288 he was defeated by the Cologne citizens and forced to move to Bonn. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League, but became a free city officially only by 1475.

Cologne lost its free status (and regained its archbishop) during the French period, and in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna was made part of the kingdom of Prussia. Cologne became an industrial city, and the cathedral, started in 1248 but abandoned in the mid-1500s, was finally finished in 1880.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Cologne incorporated numerous surrounding towns, and by the time of World War I had already grown to 600,000 inhabitants. In World War II, it was repeatedly bombed, and much of the city was in ruins. It took some time to rebuild the city, but afterward it grew again, and 1975 reached 1 million inhabitants for about one year.

Buildings and places of interest

• Cologne cathedral (der Kölner Dom) is the city's famous landmark.
• University of Cologne
• Hohe Strasse ("High Street") is one of the main shopping areas and extends past Cathedral in an approximately southern direction. This street is particularly popular with tourists and contains many giftshops, clothing stores, restaurants and electronic goods handlers.
• Fragrance-Museum Farina House, the birthplace of Eau de Cologne
• Wallraf-Richartz Museum
• Museum Ludwig
• Römisch-Germanisches Museum
• Ford Motor Company has plants here, assembling the Ford Fiesta and Ford Fusion and manufacturing engines and parts.
• Kölnarena, multifunctional Arena, Home of the local Ice Hockey team, the Cologne Sharks

Legalities

Cologne is the only city in Germany with an explicit tax on prostitution and other sex businesses. See the article on prostitution in Germany for details.

External links

• Cologne (http://www.koeln.de), official webpage of Cologne
• City Panoramas (http://www.panorama-cities.net/cologne/cologne.html) - Panoramic Views of Cologne's Highlights
• Cologne-In (http://www.cologne-in.de) - alternative city guide with city maps.
• Cologne Weather Forecast (http://www.asinah.org/weather/EDDK.html)
• Cologne travel guide (http://www.wikitravel.org/en/article/Cologne) at wikitravel.org

Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to:

Cologne