. Cologne is Germany fourth largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine Westphalia and within the Rhine Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the Rhine River.The city famous Cologne Cathedral (Kolner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne.The University of Cologne (Universitat zu Koln) is one of Europe oldest and largest universities.
. Cologne medieval builders had planned a grand structure to house the reliquary of the Three Kings and fit its role as a place of worship for the Holy Roman Emperor.Despite having been left incomplete during the medieval period, Cologne Cathedral eventually became unified as a masterpiece of exceptional intrinsic value and a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe.
Romano Germanic Museum
. The Roman Germanic Museum (RGM, in GermanRomisch Germanisches Museum) is an archaeological museum in Cologne, Germany.It has a large collection of Roman artifacts from the Roman settlement of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, on which modern Cologne is built.The museum protects the original site of a Roman town villa, from which a large Dionysus mosaic remains in its original place in the basement, and the related Roman Road just outside.In this respect the museum is an archaeological site.The museum also has the task of preserving the Roman cultural heritage of Cologne, and therefore houses an extensive collection of Roman glass from funerals and burials and also exercises archaeological supervision over the construction of the Cologne underground.
. Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art.It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe.It also features many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
. The Imhoff Schokoladenmuseum (Imhoff chocolate museum) was opened by Hans Imhoff on 31 October 1993.It is situated in the Cologne quarter of Altstadt Sud on the Rheinauhafen peninsula.The exhibits show the entire history of chocolate, from its beginnings with the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs to contemporary products and production methods.With 5,000 guided tours and 675,000 visitors a year, the museum is in the Top Ten of German museums.The museum is entirely self supporting, receiving no subsidy.It has its own marketing department and is used by the Schokoladenmuseum Gastronomie GmbH for events.
Wallraf Richartz Museum
. The Wallraf Richartz Museum and Fondation Corboud is one of the three major museums in Cologne, Germany.It houses an art gallery with a collection of fine art from the medieval period to the early twentieth century.The museum dates back to the year 1824, when the comprehensive collection of medieval art from Franz Ferdinand Wallraf came to the city of Cologne by inheritance.The first building was donated by Johann Heinrich Richartz, and the museum was opened in 1861.
Great St Martin Church
. The Great Saint Martin Church (GermanGrob Sankt Martin, mostly Grob St Martin) is a Romanesque Catholic church in Cologne, Germany.Its foundations (circa 960 AD) rest on remnants of a Roman chapel, built on what was then an island in the Rhine.The church was later transformed into a Benedictine monastery.The current buildings, including a soaring crossing tower that is a landmark of Cologne Old Town, were erected between 1150 1250.The architecture of its eastern end forms a triconch or trefoil plan, consisting of three apses around the crossing, similar to that at St Maria im Kapitol.The church was badly damaged in World War II, with restoration work completed in 1985.
Cologne Cable Car
. The Cologne Cable Car (GermanKolner Seilbahn or Rheinseilbahn (Koln)) is a gondola lift that runs across the River Rhine in Cologne, Germany.It connects the two banks of the Rhine at the height of Cologne Zoo Bridge (Zoobrucke).
St Maria im Kapitol
. St Maria im Kapitol (St Mary in the Capitol) is an 11th century Romanesque church located in the Kapitol Viertel in the old town of Cologne, Germany.The Roman Catholic church is based on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, was dedicated to St Mary and built between 1040 and 1065.It is one of twelve Romanesque churches built in Cologne during this period.Measuring 100 m x 40 m and encompassing 4,000 square metres of internal space, St Maria is the largest of the Romanesque churches in Cologne.Like many of the latter, it has an east end which is trefoil in shape, with three apses.It has a nave and aisles and three towers to the weSt It is considered the most important work of German church architecture of the Salian dynasty.
. The Kolumba (previously Diozesanmuseum, Diocesan Museum) is an art museum in Cologne, Germany.It is located on the site of the former St Columba church, and run by the Archdiocese of Cologne.It is one of the oldest museums in the city, alongside the Wallraf Richartz Museum.
. At the Cologne Zoo more than 10,000 animals have found a new home as many as in no other zoo in Germany.Visit okapi, lemurs, alpacas, african marabou, birds of paradise, tapirs and many other animals in one of the oldest and at the same time one of the most modern zoos in the world!
Shrine of the Three Kings
. The Shrine of the Three Kings (German Dreikonigsschrein) is a reliquary said to contain the bones of the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men.The shrine is a large gilded and decorated triple sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral.It is considered the high point of Mosan art and the largest reliquary in the western world.
EL DE Haus
. EL DE Haus, officially the NS Documentation Center of the City of Cologne, located in Cologne, is the former headquarters of the Gestapo and now a museum documenting the Third Reich.The building was at first the business premises of jeweler Leopold Dahmen, and the building takes its name from his initials.In 1934, the Nazis rented the building from him and turned it into the headquarters of the secret police, the Gestapo.Surprisingly, the building survived the Allied bombing of Cologne during World War II, while 90 percent of the city was destroyed.After the bombings, the basements of the building, which had been used as prison cells and torture rooms for forced laborers and political enemies, were used to store wartime files and paperwork.Inscriptions made on the walls of the prison cells by inmates can still be viewed today.The building was the site of many executions, as well as deaths due to overcrowding and poor hygienic conditions.
. Koelnmesse (Cologne Trade Fair or Cologne Exhibition Centre) is the name of the international trade fair and exhibition center located in Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.With around 75 trade fairs and over 2,000 conferences annually, Koelnmesse is one of the country largest trade fair organizers and with 284,000 m2 exhibition floor area the third largest by area.The Cologne Trade Fair ground was founded in 1922.Until 2005, the trade fair was based in the historic Rheinhallen, and since then moved into new premises next to them.The old Fair Tower Cologne (Messeturm Koln) is a landmark building from 1928 and features a tower restaurant on the top floor.
Flora und Botanischer Garten Koln
. The Flora und Botanischer Garten Koln (11.5 hectares) is a municipal formal park and botanical garden located adjacent to Cologne Zoological Garden at Amsterdamer Strabe 34, Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.It is open daily without charge.The garden dates to 1863 when a private joint stock company was organized to create Flora park (5.5 hectares) as a replacement for the city older botanical garden near the Cologne Cathedral, which in 1857 was destroyed for construction of the central railway station.This new park was designed by Peter Joseph Lenn
. Colonius is the tallest structure in Cologne.The television tower was built in the early 1980s along the green belt that encircles the inner city of Cologne.Unfortunately the tower observation deck is no longer open to visitors.The 9 meters high tower basket contains transmission mechanisms for analogue and digital radio as well as digital television.
. Lanxess Arena (originally Kolnarena, German for Cologne Arena) is an indoor arena, in Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.The arena opened in 1998 and can accommodate 20,000 people.It is primarily used by VfL Gummersbach (team handball), Kolner Haie (ice hockey), and as a concert venue.The arena is spanned by a steel arch supporting the roof via steel cables.The height of the arch is 76 m (249 ft) and its weight is 480 tons.
. Hohe Strabe is a shopping street in the old town of Cologne, Germany, and one of the city both oldest and busiest streets.Together with many of its adjacent side streets, Hohe Strabe is part of a designated pedestrian zone and spans about 680 metres from Cologne Cathedral on its Northern end to Schildergasse on its Southern end.
. Saint Peter bell (orig.GermanSt Petersglocke, referred to in the Kolsch dialect as Decke or Dekke Pitter and in common parlance as Dicker Pitter i.e.Fat or Big Peter) is the largest bell in Cologne Cathedral.It was cast in 1923 by Heinrich Ulrich in Apolda and hangs in the belfry of the south tower.With a weight of approximately 24,000 kg, a clapper weighing 700 kg and a diameter of 322 cm, it is the largest (horizontally mounted) freely swinging ringable bell in the world.The predecessor of the bell was the Emperor Bell (orig.GermanKaiserglocke) or Gloriosa (Glorious) of 1875 which at 27,180 kg was even heavier than the St Peter bell.In 1918 it was melted down, because the sound was inappropriate to the rest of the peal.Its metal was used for war purposes.
Rhein Energie Stadion
. The RheinEnergieStadion is a football stadium in Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.It was built on the site of the two previous Mungersdorfer stadiums.It is the home of the local Bundesliga team, 1.FC Koln.The stadium was one of the 12 hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup.The stadium name comes from a contract with the local power supplier RheinEnergie AG.
Basilica of St Ursula
. The Basilica church of St Ursula is located in Cologne the Rhineland, Germany.It is built upon the ancient ruins of a Roman cemetery, where the 11,000 virgins associated with the legend of Saint Ursula are said to have been buried.The church has an impressive reliquary created from the bones of the former occupants of the cemetery.It is one of the twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne and was designated a Minor Basilica on 25 June 1920.While the nave and crossing tower are Romanesque, the choir has been rebuilt in the Gothic style.
Basilica of the Holy Apostles
. The Basilica of the Holy Apostles (Basilika St Aposteln) is a Romanesque church in Cologne (Koln), located near Innenstadt busy Neumarkt.The former collegiate church is dedicated to the twelve Apostles.It is one of the twelve Romanesque churches built in Cologne in that period.The church has a basilical plan of nave and aisles, and like Grob St Martin and St Maria im Kapitol, has three apses at the east end making a trefoil plan.There is a single tower of 67 metres at the weSt
Forstbotanischer Garten Koln
. The Forstbotanischer Garten Koln (25 hectares) is an arboretum and woodland botanical garden located at Schillingsrotterstrabe 100, Rodenkirchen, Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.It forms part of the city outer green belt and is open daily without charge.The garden was created between 1962 1964 on a former military site which was, until the end of World War I, a part of the auberer Festungsring Koln, the outer ring of fortresses surrounding Cologne.Its ruins have been integrated into the plantings as a rock garden.In the 1980s, an adjoining natural area was created as the Friedenswald with additional tree plantings.
. Cologne Tower (GermanKolnTurm) is a 44 storey, 148.5 m (487 ft) (165.48 m (542.9 ft) including antenna) office skyscraper in the Koln Neustadt Nord district of Cologne, Germany.Construction of the tower lasted from June 1999 to November 2001, and it is the second tallest building in the city (after the Cathedral), the second tallest in North Rhine Westphalia (after Post Tower in Bonn), and the twelfth tallest in Germany.Because of the tower location near Cologne MediaPark, it is home to several media sector companies.
. The Cologne Opera (GermanOper der Stadt Koln or Oper Koln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company.The current Oper der Stadt Koln was designed by the German architect, Wilhelm Riphahn.It was inaugurated on 8 May 1957 in the presence of Konrad Adenauer, then the Chancellor of Germany and a former mayor of Cologne.The first opera to be performed there was Carl Maria von Weber Oberon.In June of that year the house saw its first world premiere, Wolfgang Fortner Die Bluthochzeit.The following month the opera company of La Scala appeared there on tour with Maria Callas in La sonnambula.
. The Gloria Theater is a multi purpose theatre and event space, originally a cinema theatre, in the centre of Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.It is located on Apostelnstrabe north of the Neumarkt, near the Basilica of the Holy Apostles.After a complete renovation and the addition of up to date technical equipment, the Gloria has since 2000 been a multi purpose theatre and event location.
. The Volkstheater Millowitsch, also known as the Millowitsch Theater, is a medium sized theatre in Cologne, Germany where popular, low brow comedies are enacted.The television plays spawned interest in theatre and the audiences gradually grew and by the 1960s a steady flow of people were teeming in to see Millowitsch plays firsthand.He renovated the building in 1967 and the Volkstheater once again became a focal point of local culture.Changing his original concept, Millowitsch turned the theatre from a house just for plays into a venue for local performances of all kinds.Many young dialect artists started their careers there.
. Bleibtreusee is a lake in Rhein Erft Kreis, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.At an elevation of , its surface area is 37.8 ha.Der Bleibtreusee ist ein Freizeitsee in dem legal und zum Nulltarif geschwommen werden darf.Es gibt ein kleines Strandbad mit grober Liegewiese am nordlichen Teil des Sees.Toilette und Kiosk sind vorhanden.Baden ist auf eigene Gefahr gestattet.Auberdem ist das Befahren des Sees mit Segelbooten (Segelflache bis 6 m2), Surfbrettern und Weichbooten erlaubt.
. The Beethoven Monument is a large bronze statue of Ludwig van Beethoven that stands on the Munsterplatz in Bonn, Beethoven birthplace.It was unveiled on 12 August 1845, in honour of the 75th anniversary of the composer birth.Franz Liszt involved himself in the project in October 1839 when it became clear it was danger of foundering through lack of financial support.Till then, the French contributions had totalled less than 425 francs Liszt own personal donation exceeded 10,000 francs.He contributed his advocacy and also his personal energies in concerts and recitals, the proceeds of which went towards the construction fund.The sole condition of his involvement was that the sculptor of the statue of Beethoven should be the Italian, Lorenzo Bartolini.In the event, the contract was awarded to a German, Ernst Julius Hahnel (1811 1891).The casting was done by Jakob Daniel Burgschmiet of Nuremberg.
. Roonstrasse Synagogue, located in Cologne, Germany, is one of the five pre Nazi synagogues of the locality, which was destroyed on November 9, 1938 during nation wide attacks on Jewish owned property (Kristallnacht) when Germany was under Nazi rule.The synagogue was subsequently rebuilt during the 1950s.It is currently a center of Jewish community of Cologne, and consists of a community center, a small display of items associated with Cologne Jewry, and a kosher restaurant.The interior of the reconstructed synagogue has a vast blue dome.
St Maria in der Kupfergasse
. St Maria in der Kupfergasse is a Baroque church in Cologne, western Germany, in the district of Innenstadt.The pilgrimage church is dedicated to St Mary, the Black Madonna.It was completed in 1715 and measures 37.20 meters in length and 17.30 metres in width.
. The Crypt is an independent 2009 horror film written and directed by Craig McMahon.The film depicts a group of thieves who break into an underground catacomb to steal jewels and then encounter undead beings intent on killing them.It is unclear how and if the release of this film will play upon the unrelated ride of the same name (which had originally been named Tomb RaiderThe Ride, forced to change it name when the ride left the ownership of movie studio Paramount).
. Schauspiel Koln is a theatre in Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.This European theatre related article is a stub.You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne
. The NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne (GermanNS Dokumentationszentrum der Stadt Koln) was founded by a resolution passed by the Cologne city council on December 13, 1979 and has become the largest regional memorial site in all of Germany for the victims of the Nazis.Since 1988, it has been housed in EL DE Haus, the EL DE building, named for the initials of its owner, Catholic businessman Leopold Dahmen.This building was the headquarters of the Cologne Gestapo (secret police) between December 1935 and March 1945.In the final months of the war, several hundred people, most of them foreign forced laborers, were murdered in the courtyard of the building.In a bit of historical irony, the EL DE building remained largely untouched by the ravages of the war.
. Deutz Abbey (GermanKloster or Abtei Deutz) was a Benedictine monastery located at Deutz, now part of Cologne as Koln Deutz, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.The abbey had extensive properties, but its strategic position by the Rhine exposed it to involvement in fighting, and it was destroyed in the 14th century and again in the 16th.It was dissolved during the secularisation of the Napoleonic era, but the abbey church, now known as Alt St Heribert, became a parish church in 1804.