City Statistics
Location
Cologne is situated on the river Rhine in central west Germany, around 100km (60 miles) from the Belgium border.
Dialing code
49.
Time zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March until last Sunday in October).
Electricity
220V, 50Hz.
Average January temperatures
4°C (39°F).
Average July temperatures
24°C (75°F).
Annual rainfall
614mm (24 inches).
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Overview
The fourth biggest city in Germany, with over 1 million inhabitants, Cologne (Köln in German) began life as a
Roman colony or
colonia (hence its name). Its location on the Rhine, at the heart of Germania, was key to its status as capital of the province. The city became a center for worship, famous for the legend and cult of Santa Ursula, and built several splendid Romanesque churches, which survive today.
By the Middle Ages, Cologne was one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire and in 1248 work began on its mighty
cathedral, designed to house the relics of the Three Wise Men. Known as the Dom (pronounced dome), it was once the world's tallest building and is arguably still the world's greatest gothic edifice, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe, even though it was not to be completed for another six centuries. It is still Germany's most visited attraction.
The city suffered terribly in WWII, losing most of its historic center, and only a small proportion of the
Altstadt, right by the river, survives, or has been reconstructed in its original form.
Modern day pilgrims come not only to the
awe-inspiring Dom and
Romanesque churches, but to the city's
fine museums (featuring rich Roman remains and an important artistic heritage) and to sample the city's famous hospitality in its brewhouses (Cologne boasts more breweries than any other European city). Despite its strong religious background, Cologne has a reputation as a goodtime town and its
Carnival is one of the biggest in Europe....
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Tourist Information
For walking tours of the city in English contact the tourist board, or
Stattreisen Köln (tel: (0221) 732 5113; website:
http://www.stattreisen-koeln.de/).
Brauhaus tours (pub crawls) are very popular. The association of city guides offer a 90-minute walking tour every Saturday at 1300.
A hop-on hop-off bus tour with recorded commentary in several languages runs every 45 minutes (buy your tickets from the tourist office).
Cologne Coach Service (tel: (0221) 979 2570; website:
http://www.ccs-busreisen.de/) runs a 90-minute non-stopping guided bus tour in English. The tour runs at least twice daily (three to four times in summer). Buy your ticket from the driver.
All the above tours depart from outside the tourist office.
A little land train also offers an evening tour of the city in English every Friday from July to September (tel: (022) 347 7226; website:
http://www.bimmelbahnen.de/).
Boat trips are very popular from early spring to autumn with one-hour morning, afternoon tea and evening cruises offered by
Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) (tel: (0221) 208 8318; website:
http://www.k-d.com/). ...
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