39 Cologne Facts: Learn about The 2000 Year Old German City

Cologne was established in Ubii territory in the first century CE and it was named Roman Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium.

It is the historic, cultural, and economic hub of the Rhineland, and one of Europe's most important inland ports. Cologne is Rhineland's cultural capital, with more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries.

The cultural heart of the region is a 2,000-year-old city on the Rhine River in western Germany. The twin-spired Cologne Cathedral, a showpiece of High Gothic architecture nestled among the restored old towns, is well famed for its gilded medieval reliquary and panoramic river views.

Cologne's commercial importance arose from its location at the confluence of the massive traffic artery of the Rhine River and one of the primary trade routes connecting eastern and western Europe. During the Middle Ages, it also became an important ecclesiastical center as well as a significant center of art and learning.

With numerous publishing firms and radio and television production organizations, Cologne is a major media center. Engineering, electrical engineering, machinery, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals all play significant roles as well. Other products include chocolate and the city's famous eau de Cologne, which was first commercially produced in the early 1800s.

In addition, Cologne is home to a number of well-known economic institutions, and the Koelnmesse hosts a number of large trade shows each year. The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research is located in the city.

Cologne, on the other hand, is recognized for its vibrant nightlife, owing to its big student population because the University of Cologne is one of the largest in Germany. The city has a plethora of nightclubs. Aside from that, Cologne's streets are lined with cocktail bars, Irish pubs, and an endless number of small, cozy taverns.

While Cologne is well connected to adjacent cities such as Dusseldorf and Bonn, it also has an extensive train network that can whisk visitors to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris in just a few hours.

Cologne Location

One of the key points in reading and knowing about a city is learning about its location and important architectural features.

• Cologne is one of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and one of the oldest cities.
• Cologne is a city in central-western Germany, located on the river Rhine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Bundesland).
• The Cologne City Hall, also known as the Rathaus, is a significant structure that houses the city council, the administration, and other key offices.
• Cologne is the first big city in Germany to declare a climate emergency with a population of over 1 million people.
• According to the latest rankings, Cologne's Schildergasse is the most popular shopping street in Germany. With approximately 13,280 visits every hour, it's a hive of activity.
• The University of Cologne, which was founded in 1388, is Germany's largest and oldest university.
• Cologne has one of Europe's major Pride festivities. Every year during the first weekend in July, more than 500,000 participants and visitors congregate in Cologne's city center to celebrate.
• Cologne is also known for Cologne Cathedral.
• According to mythology, the Cologne Cathedral houses the relics of the Three Wise Men, in the golden Shrine of the Three Kings.
• It is also the second-tallest church in Germany and the world's third-tallest church.
• What you may not realize is that the cathedral can be seen from every corner of Cologne. Turn around and you'll almost certainly catch a glimpse of the Kölner Dom's two spires, no matter where you go. It's unbelievably large!
• Despite the nearly entire devastation of the Inner City Innenstadt during World War II, much of this rich and varied heritage may still be found in modern-day Cologne.
• In the '80s, an art student named Thomas Baumgärtel began spray painting bananas on the doors and buildings of art galleries in Cologne. This was a way to attract attention to the unexpected inflow of art venues and aspiring artists.

History Of Cologne

It's always intriguing to learn the historical facts about a city you are reading about!

• Cologne began as a small hamlet beside a Roman fort until Emperor Claudius' wife, Agrippina, convinced her husband to elevate it to a city rank.
• Roman soldiers established a base at a small urban settlement of the Ubii, a Germanic tribe in the area, about 2000 years ago. Essentially the city was Roman Catholic.
• In the year 50 CE, the Romans founded the city. Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city and one of Europe's oldest, was built in this manner.
• There was a lot of movement and development after that, and it eventually became a significant trading and industry hub for the Roman empire.
• In 85 CE, the city was named the provincial capital of Germania Inferior.
• During World War II, Cologne's inner center was completely destroyed. The city was rebuilt in the '50s style while keeping the previous street layout and names.
• Johann Maria Farina, an Italian immigrant, was born in Cologne and named his fragrance after the city.
• In 80 CE, the Romans built a 59 mi (95 km) aqueduct to transport fresh spring water to Cologne from the neighboring hills, and elements of the Eifel aqueduct may still be seen in the countryside outside of Cologne today.
• The mosaic floor of a banquet hall in a large Roman villa, uncovered during excavations near the cathedral in 1941, stands on the south side of the cathedral as a reminder of Cologne's even older past.
• There is a great collection of lovely Roman glass amphora used to store things like oil and spices, jewelry, and flasks with gladiator patterns uncovered in excavations.
• There are up to 12 Romanesque churches in Cologne today, many of which date back to the Roman era.
• The city's skyline is dominated by the Great St Martin Church. It was erected on warehouses on an island during the Roman era.

Weather And Climate Of Cologne

Listed below is the weather and climate pattern of the city of Cologne, Germany.

• Summers in Cologne are pleasant and partially cloudy, whereas winters are bitterly cold, windy, and usually cloudy.
• The temperature normally ranges from 32-76 F (0-24.4 C) throughout the year, with temperatures rarely falling below 19 F (-7 C) or rising over 87 F (31 C).
• From June 5-September 9, the warm season lasts 3.1 months, with an average daily high temperature of over 69 F (21 C).
• July is the hottest month in Cologne, with average highs of 75 F (24 C) and lows of 57 F (14 C).
• From November 18-March 7, the cool season lasts 3.7 months, with an average daily maximum temperature below 49 F. (9.4 C)
• Cologne's coldest month is January, with an average low of 33 F (0.6 C) and a high of 42 F (6 C).
• The average percentage of the sky covered by clouds in Cologne varies significantly during the year.
• The clearer weather starts around March 23 and lasts for six months, finishing around October 12.
• July is the clearest month of the year, with the sky being clear, mostly clear, or partly overcast 56% of the time.
• The rainy season starts about October 12 and lasts for around five months, finishing around March 23.
• December is the cloudiest month in the city, with an average of 71% of the time the sky being overcast or mostly gloomy.
• A wet day is defined as one that has received at least 0.04 in (1 mm) of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation.
• The probability of rainy days changes throughout the year in Cologne. From May 8-January 20, the wetter season lasts around eight months, with a greater than 30% chance of rain on any given day.

Language Of Cologne

Its important to know about a place's language and what the population is like. Listed below are some interesting facts.

• The Colognian dialect, often known as Kölsch, is a dialect of German.
• Kölsch is popular in and around Cologne, the westernmost metropolis of Germany.
• High German is now their primary or secondary language for the majority of people.
• Kölsch, Cologne's much-loved dialect, is spoken by 25% of the city's inhabitants in some form or another and understood by many more.
• Kölsch is spoken by about 2.5 million people. More than 2.5 million individuals are familiar with Kölsch and use it, or a derivative of it, in some way. It is believed that 20-30 million people only have a basic knowledge of it.
• The word 'Kölsch' comes from the city of Cologne's name: Koln. The city's current name is derived from the Roman conquest of Northern Germany 100 years before Christ and afterward.
• Although Kölsch speakers occasionally claim that it is founded in pre-Roman times.
• In Medieval times, the Ripuarian substrate of Kölsch was made up of a mix of Lower German and Middle High German.
• Only a few European languages have as many distinct vowels as Kölsch.
• Individuality and tolerance go hand in hand. Among the several dialects that surround it, Kölsch does not stand out. Kölsch easily and rapidly incorporates new variants and deviations.
• Kölsch is unusually well documented. Some linguists of the local institutions have shown tremendous interest in Kölsch and the Ripuarian languages, and research on them.
• Cologne absorbed and assimilated a large number of former residents from the former East German provinces that are now part of Poland.
• This has had a significant impact on the immigrants, rather than the Kölsch language. They quickly became integrated into the social life, and they began to learn Kölsch as well.

Did You Know...

80% of the city's residents are German; the rest are mostly southern European guest workers who have arrived since the '70s, mostly from Turkey and Italy and also from the Balkan republics.

• The German community's major religion is Roman Catholicism, however, there is a sizable Protestant minority.
• In addition, there is a substantial Muslim community.
• The city is still a banking center, as it was in the Middle Ages, and one of the world's oldest commodity and stock exchanges is located there.
• It has been a center of the automotive industry, particularly engine manufacturing, since the late 1800s and is now the home of the Ford Motor Company's European operations.
• Cologne residents are quite proud of who they are. Colognians are more relaxed and laid-back than their German counterparts.
• There is a valid set of rules known as the Kölsches Grundgesetz, or Cologne Basic Law, that covers the 11 Colognian rules.
• The Grundgesetz has been passed down through the years, and the locals swear by it and utilize it as a guide to leading a good life.
• The airport in Cologne is home to Germany's only runway that also serves as an emergency landing spot for NASA shuttles.
• The shuttles require these emergency runways because they would disintegrate if they landed in the water.
• When the first space shuttles launched in the '80s, 60 emergency runways were built across the world; the runways had to be at least 1.4 mi (2.3 km) long and 3.2 ft (40 m) broad.
• Cologne Carnival is a colorful celebration that takes place in Cologne, and thousands gather every year to participate in it.
• The history of the carnival dates back to Medieval times when people in Cologne would celebrate the end of winter and ring in the Easterly fasting period.
• The celebrations evolved into what we know today as the Cologne Carnival.
• Cologne is famous for delicacies such as Mettbrötchen, Currywurst, Schnitzel, Kölscher Kaviar, Schweinshaxe (crispy pork knuckle) and Himmel un Ääd.