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Cologne City Hall

Photo credit: Delphinidaesy / Foter / CC BY-NC
Cologne City Hall
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The oldest city hall in Germany

Rathauspl., 50667 Köln, Germany

The Cologne City Hall is a building in Cologne located right next to Hohe Strasse, a famous shopping street in the city. It is the oldest city hall in Germany. Built over 900 years ago. Today, it houses part of the city government. It is located on the site of the ancient Roman Praetorium, which was destroyed during the 8th century by an earthquake. During Roman times, the former praetorum was used as the seat of the governor.


The building showcases a range of different architectural styles, from Renaissance to Gothic and Modern Movement.


The building features a 61 meter high Gothic style-tower built between the years 1401 and 1414 and was originally used to store documents. The tower was damaged during the second World War but has been restored.