Cologne is the fourth largest German city with more than a million inhabitants and the most populated city of the land North Rhine-Westphalia. Cologne is important internationally as an economic and cultural metropolis and is regarded as one of the leading centers of the word-wide art trade. The carnival strong- hold is furthermore head office of many associations and media enterprises with numerous TV channels, music producers and publishing houses as well as of many universities.

The Kölner Dom with its two 157 meter high towers for ages has been the landmark of the city and is the most famous architectural monument of Germany.

The Kranhäuser are not only the center of the port Rheinauhafen, but also a fixed part of the cityscape of Cologne for a long time now. They attract all the views within the Rhine panorama, distinctive through their crane shape, typical of a harbor.

Located right on the Rhine, the Kölner Altstadt impresses with its unique atmosphere. Visitors can expect a unique mixture of restaurants, shops, brewhouses and squares that offer historic flair, embedded in old houses and small alleys.

Those who ride or walk over the Hohenzollernbrücke, do not only notice the Kölner Dom, but also thousands of small, blinking locks: Couples in love put their names and dates on them and fixed them onto the railing of the bridge for eternal love and loyalty. The keys are traditionally thrown into the Rhine together.

Kölsch is not only a dialect, it is first of all the beer of Cologne. Distinctive, top-fermented, light, sheer and full-bodied. You drink Kölsch from a slim, cylindric, relatively thin glass with a content of 0,2 l, typically called Kölschglas or “Stange”.

The Kölner Karneval is world-wide one of the biggest and best-known carnival fairs. The carnival season or the “fifth” season is officially opened on 11 November, at “Elf Uhr Elf” (eleven eleven) at the Kölner Alter Markt with performances of the best-known carnival musicians in front of several thousand spectators as well as with the performance of the designated Kölner Dreigestirn (triumvirate).

More about Cologne?  www.cologne.de