Cologne

Name	Cologne
German name	Köln
Art	City
Image photo	Kdom.jpg
Wappen	Wappen_Koeln.svg
Lageplan	North rhine w K.svg
Lageplanbeschreibung	Cologne within North Rhine-Westphalia
Lat deg	50 |lat_min = 57 | lat_sec=
Lon deg	06 |lon_min = 58 | lon_sec=
Bundesland	Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regierungsbezirk	Cologne
Kreis	Urban district
Höhe	37
Fläche	405.15
Einwohner	1.000.660
Stand	2010-12-17
Plz	50441–51149
Plz-alt	5000
Vorwahl	0221, 02203 (Porz)
Kfz	K
Gemeindeschlüssel	05 3 15 000
Locode	DE CGN
Bürgermeister	Jürgen Roters
Bürgermeistertitel	Lord Mayor
Partei	SPD
Website	www.stadt-koeln.de
Year	38 BC

Cologne (, , ) is Germany's 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's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest universities.

Cologne is a major cultural centre of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The Cologne Trade Fair hosts a number of trade shows such as Art Cologne, imm Cologne International Furniture Fair and the Photokina. Cologne is also well-known for its celebration of the Cologne Carnival, the annual reggae summerjam, and Cologne Gay Pride.

History

Roman Cologne

The first urban settlement on the grounds of what today is the center of Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum, which was founded in 38 BC by the Ubii, a Germanic tribe. In 50 AD, the Romans founded Colonia on the Rhine and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 AD. The city was named "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis" in 50 AD. From 260 to 271 Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire under Postumus, Marius and Victorinus. In 310 under Constantine a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. The imperial governors of Rome resided in the city and became one of the most important trade and production centres in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.

The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterized by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub upon the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organized by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women.

As a free city Cologne was a sovereign state within the Holy Roman Empire and as such had the right (and obligation) to maintain its own military force. Wearing a red uniform these troops were known as the Rote Funken (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent") and fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France, when the small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the Rote Funken.

The free city of Cologne must not be confused with the Archbishopric of Cologne which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the archbishops were taken from the Bavarian dynasty Wittelsbach. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn and later in Brühl on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family and supported by their outstanding status as electors, the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th century, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire.

19th and 20th century

Cologne lost its status as a free city during the French period. According to the Peace Treaty of Lunéville (1801) all the territories of the Holy Roman Empire on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into the French Republic (which already had occupied Cologne in 1798). Thus this region later became part of Napoleon's Empire. Cologne was part of the French Département Roer (named after the River Roer, German: Rur) with Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernized public life, for example by introducing the Napoleonic code and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic code remained in use on the left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) was introduced in the German Empire. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Cologne was made part of the Kingdom of Prussia, first in the Jülich-Cleves-Berg province and then the Rhine province.

The permanent tensions between the Roman Catholic Rhineland and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in the focus of the conflict. In 1837 the archbishop of Cologne, Clemens August von Droste-Vischering, was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Protestants and Roman Catholics (Mischehenstreit). In 1874 during the Kulturkampf, Archbishop Paul Melchers was imprisoned before taking refuge in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to a deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, became the first West German chancellor.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialization changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing were especially successful, though heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in the Ruhr area. The cathedral, started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly founded German empire and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at the expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by present-day buildings.

Cologne was designated as one of the Fortresses of the German Confederation. It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of Verdun and Liège) with two fortified belts surrounding the city, the remains of which can be seen to this day. The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very dense built-up area within the city itself.

During World War I Cologne was the target of several only minor air raids and survived the hostilities without significant damage. Until 1926 Cologne was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine under the terms of the armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty. Contrary to the harsh measures taken by French occupation troops, the British acted with more tact towards the local population. The mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and future West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially that the British had opposed French plans for a permanent Allied occupation of the Rhineland.

As part of the de-militarization of the Rhineland the fortifications had to be dismantled. This was taken as an opportunity to create two green belts (Grüngürtel) around the city by converting the fortifications and their clear fields of fire into large public parks. However this project was not completed until 1933. In 1919 the University of Cologne, closed by the French in 1798, was refounded. This re-foundation was considered a replacement for the loss of the German University of Strasbourg that became part of France with the rest of Alsace. Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and progress was made especially in respect to public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and copied by other German cities. As Cologne competed for hosting the Olympics a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, civil aviation was allowed once again and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport soon became a hub for national and international air traffic: second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport.

The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to the NSDAP and other right wing parties. Thereafter Communist as well as Social Democratic members of the city assembly were imprisoned and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed by the new holders of power. However, compared to other major cities, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne and the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party in Reichstag elections was always below the national average. By 1939 the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants.

World War II

During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters (Militärbereichshauptkommandoquartier) for the Military District (Wehrkreis) VI of Münster. Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations in Bonn, Siegburg, Aachen, Jülich, Düren, and Monschau. Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment.

During the Bombing of Cologne in World War II, Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the centre of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed of built-up area, killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. At the end of 1945, the population had already risen to about 500,000 again.

By that time, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 20,000 had been deported or killed by the German regime of the time. The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. The synagogue on Roonstraße was rebuilt in 1959.

Post-war Cologne

Despite Cologne's status of being the largest city in the region, nearby Düsseldorf was chosen as the political capital of the Federal State North Rhine-Westphalia. With Bonn being chosen as the provisional capital (provisorische Bundeshauptstadt) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between the two important political centres of the former West Germany. The city became home to a large number of Federal agencies and organizations. After re-unification in 1990 Berlin was made the Federal capital of Germany.

In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble." Schwarz designed the master plan of reconstruction in 1947, which called for the construction of several new thoroughfares through the downtown area, especially the Nord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after the war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already to a certain degree evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier in times when the majority of downtown lots were undeveloped.

The destruction of 95 % of the city centre including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches like St. Gereon, Great St. Martin, St. Maria im Kapitol and several other monuments in World War II meant a tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks like the Gürzenich event hall was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church of St. Kunibert was finished.

In 1959 the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1 million for about one year from 1975. It has remained just below that until mid 2010, when it exceeded 1 million again.

Post-reunification Cologne

In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. Firstly, a growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly-developed Media Park, which creates a strongly visual focal point in the Cologne town centre and includes the KölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. Secondly, a permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure made Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe.

Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair, the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s are rented out to RTL, Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters.

Geography

Districts

Cologne is subdivided into 9 districts (Stadtbezirke) and 85 city parts (Stadtteile):

{| class="toccolours" style="margin:0 auto; backgrond:none;" | style="padding-right:1em;" | ; Innenstadt (Stadtbezirk 1) : Altstadt-Nord, Altstadt-Süd, Neustadt-Nord, Neustadt-Süd, Deutz ; Rodenkirchen (Stadtb ezirk 2) : Bayenthal, Godorf, Hahnwald, Immendorf, Marienburg, Meschenich, Raderberg, Raderthal, Rodenkirchen, Rondorf, Sürth, Weiß, Zollstock ; Lindenthal (Stadtbezirk 3) : Braunsfeld, Junkersdorf, Klettenberg, Lindenthal, Lövenich, Müngersdorf, Sülz, Weiden, Widdersdorf ; Ehrenfeld (Stadtbezirk 4) : Bickendorf, Bocklemünd/Mengenich, Ehrenfeld, Neuehrenfeld, Ossendorf, Vogelsang ; Nippes (Stadtbezirk 5) : Bilderstöckchen, Longerich, Mauenheim, Niehl, Nippes, Riehl, Weidenpesch | | ; Chorweiler (Stadtbezirk 6) : Blumenberg, Chorweiler, Esch/Auweiler, Fühlingen, Heimersdorf, Lindweiler, Merkenich, Pesch, Roggendorf/Thenhoven, Seeberg, Volkhoven/Weiler, Worringen ; Porz (Stadtbezirk 7) : Eil, Elsdorf, Ensen, Finkenberg, Gremberghoven, Grengel, Langel, Libur, Lind, Poll, Porz, Urbach, Wahn, Wahnheide, Westhoven, Zündorf ; Kalk (Stadtbezirk 8) : Brück, Höhenberg, Humboldt/Gremberg, Kalk, Merheim, Neubrück, Ostheim, Rath/Heumar, Vingst ; Mülheim (Stadtbezirk 9) : Buchforst, Buchheim, Dellbrück, Dünnwald, Flittard, Höhenhaus, Holweide, Mülheim, Stammheim |}

Climate

Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. It has a temperate–oceanic climate with relatively mild winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is : during the day and at night.

Flood protection

Cologne is regularly affected by flooding from the Rhine and is considered the most flood-prone European city. A city agency (Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln, "Cologne Urban Drainage Operations") manages an extensive flood control system which includes both permanent and mobile flood walls, protection from rising waters for buildings close to the river banks, monitoring and forecasting systems, pumping stations and programs to create or protect floodplains and river embankments. The system was redesigned after a 1993 flood which resulted in heavy damages. Cologne is the centre of the Cologne/Bonn Region with around 3 million inhabitants (including the neighboring cities of Bonn, Hürth, Leverkusen, and Bergisch Gladbach).

According to local statistics, in 2006 the population density in the city was 2,528 inhabitants per square kilometre. 31.4 percent of the population has migrated there, and 17.2 percent of Cologne's population is non-German. The largest group, comprising 6.3 percent of the total population, is Turkish. As of September 2007, there are about 120,000 Muslims living in Cologne, mostly of Turkish origin.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.5% under the age of 18, 67.0% from 18 to 64 and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older.

Government

The city's administration is headed by the mayor and the three deputy mayors. Jürgen Roters of the Social Democratic Party has been mayor since 20 October 2009.

Elections

City Councilours are set to a five year term and the Mayor has a six year term.

Make-up of city council

Cityscape

The inner city of Cologne was completely destroyed during World War II. The reconstruction of the city followed the style of the 1950s, while respecting the old layout and naming of the streets. Thus, the city today is characterized by simple and modest post-war buildings, with few interspersed pre-war buildings which were reconstructed due to their historical importance. Some buildings of the "Wiederaufbauzeit" (era of reconstruction), for example the opera house by Wilhelm Riphahn, are nowadays regarded as classics of modern architecture. Nevertheless, the uncompromising style of the Cologne Opera house and other modern buildings has remained controversial.

Green areas account for over a quarter of Cologne which is approximately of public green space for every citizen of the city.

Tourism

Cologne had 4.31 million overnight accommodations booked and 2.38 million arrivals in 2008. The city has 70 clubs and other party spots. The city has "countless" bars, restaurants and pubs.). Residents of Cologne sometimes refer to the cathedral as "the eternal construction site" (Dauerbaustelle).

Twelve Romanesque churches: These buildings are outstanding examples of medieval church architecture. The origins of some of the churches go back as far as Roman times, for example St. Gereon, which was originally a chapel in a Roman graveyard. With the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen all of these churches were very badly damaged during World War II. Reconstruction was only finished in the 1990s.

Medieval houses

The Cologne City Hall (Kölner Rathaus), established in the 12th century, is the oldest city hall in Germany still in use. The Renaissance style loggia and tower were added in the 15th century. Other famous houses include the Gürzenich, Haus Saaleck and the Overstolzenhaus.

Medieval city gates

Of the once 12 medieval city gates, only the Eigelsteintorburg at Ebertplatz, the Hahnentor at Rudolfplatz and the Severinstorburg at Chlodwigplatz still stand today.

Streets

The Cologne Ring boulevards (such as Hohenzollernring, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring, Hansaring) with their medieval city gates (such as Hahnentorburg on Rudolfplatz) are also known for their night life.

Hohe Straße (literally: High Street) is one of the main shopping areas and extends past the cathedral in an approximately southerly direction. The street contains many gift shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants and electronic goods dealers.

Schildergasse - connects the Neumarkt plaza on its west end to the southern end of the Hohe Strasse shopping street at its east end and has been named the busiest shopping street in Europe with 13,000 people passing through every hour.

Ehrenstraße - the shopping area around Apostelnstrasse, Ehrenstrasse, and Rudolfplatz is a little more on the eccentric and stylish side.

Bridges

Several bridges cross the Rhine in Cologne. They are (from South to North): the Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge, Southern Railway Bridge, Severin Bridge, Deutz Bridge, Hohenzollern Bridge, Zoo Bridge (Zoobrücke) and Cologne Mülheim Bridge. In particular the iron tied arch Hohenzollern Bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke) is a dominant landmark along the river embankment. A Rhine river crossing of a special kind is provided by the Cologne Cable Car (German: Kölner Seilbahn), a cableway that runs across the Rhine between the Cologne Zoological Garden in Niehl and the Rheinpark in Deutz.

High rise structures

Cologne's tallest structure is the Colonius telecommunication tower at . The observation deck has been closed since 1992. A selection of the tallest buildings in Cologne are listed below. Other tall structures include the Hansahochhaus (designed by architect Jakob Koerfer and completed in 1925 - it was at one time Europe's tallest office building), the Kranhaus buildings at Rheinauhafen and the Messeturm Köln (English: Trade Fair tower).

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; background:#fefef6; width:80%;" |- ! Skyscraper !class="unsortable"| Image ! Height in metres ! Floors ! Year ! Address !class="unsortable"| Notes |- | align=left| KölnTurm | | 148.5 | 43 | 2001 | align=left| Mediapark 8, Neustadt-Nord | align=left| (literally: Cologne Tower), Cologne's second tallest building at in height, second only to the Colonius telecommunication tower. The 30th floor of the building has a restaurant and a terrace with 360° views of the city. |- | align=left| Colonia-Hochhaus | | 147 | 45 | 1973 | align=left| An der Schanz 2, Riehl | align=left| tallest building in Germany from 1973 to 1976. Today, it is still the country's tallest residential building. |- | align=left|Rheintower | | 138 | 34 | 1980 | align=left| Raderberggürtel, Marienburg | align=left| former headquarters of Deutsche Welle, since 2007 under renovation with the new name Rheintower Köln-Marienburg. |- | align=left| Uni-Center | | 133 | 45 | 1973 | align=left| Luxemburger Straße, Sülz | align=left| |- | align=left| TÜV Rheinland | | 112 | 22 | 1974 | align=left| Am Grauen Stein, Poll | align=left| |- | align=left| KölnTriangle | | 103 | 29 | 2006 | align=left| Ottoplatz 1, Deutz | align=left| opposite to the cathedral with a high viewing platform and a view of the cathedral over the Rhine; headquarters of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). |- | align=left| Herkules-Hochhaus | | 102 | 31 | 1969 | align=left| Graeffstraße 1, Ehrenfeld | align=left| |}

Culture

museum in 2007, designed by Peter Zumthor]] Cologne has several museums. The famous Roman-Germanic Museum features art and architecture from the city's distant past; the Museum Ludwig houses one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe, including a Picasso collection matched only by the museums in Barcelona and Paris. The Schnütgen Museum of religious art is housed in St. Cecilia, one of Cologne's Twelve Romanesque churches. Several orchestras are active in the city, among them the Gürzenich Orchestra and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, both based at the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra Building. Other orchestras are the Musica Antiqua Köln, as well as several choirs, including the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Cologne was also an important centre of electronic music in the 1950s (Studio für elektronische Musik, Karlheinz Stockhausen) and again from the 90s onward. The public radio and TV station WDR was involved in promoting musical movements such as Krautrock in the 70s; the influential Can was formed there in 1968. There are several centres of nightlife, among them the Kwartier Latäng (the student quarter around the Zülpicher Straße) and the nightclub-studded areas around Hohenzollernring, Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz.

The large annual literary festival Lit.Cologne features regional and international authors. The main literary figure connected with Cologne is writer Heinrich Böll, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Cologne is well-known for its beer, called Kölsch. Kölsch is also the name of the local dialect. This has led to the common joke of Kölsch being the only language one can drink.

Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne (German: Kölnisch Wasser; lit: Water of Cologne), a perfume (or toilet water) created by Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina at the beginning of the 18th century. During the 18th century this perfume became increasingly popular, was exported all over Europe by the Farina family and Farina became a household name for Eau de Cologne. In 1803 Wilhelm Mülhens entered into a contract with an unrelated person from Italy named Carlo Francesco Farina who granted him the right to use his family name and Mühlens opened a small factory at Cologne's Glockengasse. In later years and after various court battles his grandson Ferdinand Mülhens had to abandon the name Farina for the company and their product. He decided to use the house number given to the factory at Glockengasse during French occupation in the early 19th century: 4711. Today, original Eau de Cologne is still produced in Cologne by both the Farina family, currently in the eighth generation, and by Mäurer and Wirtz who bought the 4711 brand in 2006.

Carnival

The Cologne carnival is one of the biggest street festivals in Europe. In Cologne, the carnival season officially starts on 11 November at 11 minutes past 11 a.m. with the proclamation of the new Carnival Season, and continues until Ash Wednesday. But the so-called "Tolle Tage" (great days) don't start until Weiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival) or, in dialect, Wieverfastelovend (Thursday before Ash Wednesday), which is the beginning of the street carnival. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Cologne during this time. Generally, around a million people celebrate in the streets on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.

Museums

houses one of the most important collections of modern art]] in Cologne: Dionysus Mosaic at display at Römisch-Germanisches Museum]]

Farina Fragrance Museum, the birthplace of Eau de Cologne.

Römisch-Germanisches Museum (English: Roman-Germanic Museum) for ancient Roman and Germanic culture.

Wallraf-Richartz Museum for European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century.

Museum Ludwig for modern art.

Museum Schnütgen for medieval art.

Museum für Angewandte Kunst for applied art.

Kolumba Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln (Art museum of the archbishopric of Cologne), modern art museum built around medieval ruins, completed 2007.

Cathedral Treasury "Domschatzkammer" in the historic underground vaults of the Cathedral

EL-DE Haus, the former local headquarters of the Gestapo houses a museum documenting Nazi rule in Cologne with a special focus on the persecution of political dissenters and minorities.

German Sports and Olympic Museum, with exhibitions about sports from antiquity until the present.

Chocolate Museum, officially called Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum.

Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art - collections of Internet based art, corporate part of (NewMediaArtProjectNetwork):cologne - the experimental platform for art and New Media.

Flora und Botanischer Garten Köln, the city's formal park and main botanical garden

Forstbotanischer Garten Köln, an arboretum and woodland botanical garden

Music fairs and festivals

The city was home to the internationally famous Ringfest, and now to the C/o pop festival.

Economy

, 2008]] As the largest city in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, Cologne benefits from a large market structure. In competition for location factors with Düsseldorf, the economy of Cologne is primarily based on insurance and media industries, while the city is also an important cultural and research centre and home to a number of corporate headquarters.

Among the largest media companies based in Cologne are Westdeutscher Rundfunk, RTL Television (with subsidiaries), Deutschlandradio, Brainpool TV and publishing houses like J. P. Bachem, Taschen, Tandem Verlag and M. DuMont Schauberg. Several clusters of media, arts and communications agencies, TV production studios, and state agencies work partly with private and government funded cultural instititutions. Among the insurance companies based in Cologne are Central, DEVK, DKV, Generali Deutschland, Gothaer, HDI Gerling and national headquarters of AXA Insurance and Zurich Financial Services.

Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, and Lufthansa CityLine have their main corporate headquarters in Cologne. Largest employer in Cologne is Ford Europe, which has its European headquarters and a factory in Niehl (Ford-Werke GmbH). Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), Toyota's official motorsports team, responsible for Toyota rally cars, and then Formula One cars has headquarters and workshops in Cologne. Other large companies based in Cologne include the REWE Group, TÜV Rheinland, Deutz AG and a number of Kölsch breweries. Cologne has the country's highest densitiy of pubs per capita. is an extensive light rail system that is partially underground (referred to as U-Bahn) and serves Cologne and a number of neighboring cities. Nearby Bonn is linked by both the city railway and Deutsche Bahn trains, and occasional recreational boats on the Rhine. Düsseldorf is also linked by S-Bahn trains which are operated by Deutsche Bahn.

There are also frequent buses covering most of the city and surrounding suburbs, and Eurolines coaches to London via Brussels.

Water transport

Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (Cologne Ports and Railways) (HGK) is one of the largest operators for inland ports in Germany. Ports include Köln-Deutz, Köln-Godorf and Köln-Niehl I and II. Köln-Düsseldorfer offers Rhine river cruises along the entire Rhine.

Air transport

Cologne's international airport is Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN). It is also called Konrad Adenauer Airport after Germany's first post-war Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who was born in the city and was mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933. The airport is shared with the neighbouring city of Bonn. Cologne is headquarter to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The airport is also the main hub of the airline Germanwings.

Education

Cologne is home to numerous universities and colleges, and host to some 72,000 students. {| |- |valign=top|

Public and state universities:

* University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln);

* German Sport University Cologne (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln).

Public and state colleges:

* Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule Köln);

* Köln International School of Design;

* Cologne University of Music and Dance (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln);

* Academy of Media Arts Cologne (Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln);

Private colleges:

* Catholic University of Applied Sciences (Katholische Hochschule Nordrhein-Westfalen);

* Cologne Business School;

* international filmschool cologne (internationale filmschule köln);

* Rhenish University of Applied Sciences (Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln)

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Research institutes:

* German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt);

* European Astronaut Center (EAC) of the European Space Agency;

* European College of Sport Science (ECSS);

* Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Ageing (Max-Planck-Institut für die Biologie des Alterns);

* Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung);

* Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research (Max-Planck-Institut für neurologische Forschung);

* Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung).

Former colleges include:

The Cologne Art and Crafts Schools (Kölner Werkschulen);

The Cologne Institute for Religious Art (Kölner Institut für religiöse Kunst)

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Media

Within Germany, Cologne is known as an important media centre. Several radio and television stations, including Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), RTL and VOX, have their headquarters in the city. Film and TV production is also important. The city is "Germany's capital of TV crime stories". A third of all German TV productions are produced in the Cologne region.

Sports

|230px]] Cologne hosts football club 1. FC Köln which competes in the Bundesliga. 1. FC Köln plays its home matches in RheinEnergieStadion which also hosted 5 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The International Olympic Committee and Internationale Vereinigung Sport- und Freizeiteinrichtungen e.V. gave RheinEnergieStadion a bronze medal for "being one of the best sporting venues in the world".

{| |- | valign="top" | Liverpool, United Kingdom, since 1952 Lille, France, since 1958 Liège, Belgium, since 1958 Rotterdam, Netherlands, since 1958 Turin, Italy, since 1958 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, since 1958 Kyoto, Japan, since 1963 Tunis, Tunisia, since 1964 Turku, Finland, since 1967 Neukölln, Germany, since 1967 || Tel Aviv, Israel, since 1979 Barcelona, Spain, since 1984 Beijing, China, since 1987 Cork, Ireland, since 1988 Thessaloniki, Greece, since 1988 Corinto/El Realejo, Nicaragua, since 1988 Indianapolis, United States, since 1988 Volgograd, Russia, since 1988 Treptow-Köpenick, Germany, since 1990 Katowice, Poland, since 1991 || Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories, since 1996 Istanbul, Turkey, since 1997 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, since 1999 Dunstable, United Kingdom (only borough of Porz) Benfleet, United Kingdom (only borough of Rodenkirchen) Igny, France Brive-la-Gaillarde, France Hazebrouck, France Eygelshoven, Netherlands Batangas, Philippines Saskatoon, Canada |}

Born in Cologne

Notable people, whose roots can be found in Cologne:

Adenauer, Konrad (5 January 1876 - 19 April 1967), politician, mayor of Cologne (1917–1933, 1945) and first West German Federal Chancellor

Agrippa, Heinrich Cornelius (1486–1535), alchemist, occultist, and author of Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Agrippina the Younger (6 November 15 - between 19 March and 23 March 59), Roman Empress (wife of Emperor Claudius) and mother of Emperor Nero

Birnbaum, Heinrich (1403–1473), a Catholic monk

Blum, Robert (10 November 1807 - 9 November 1848), politician and martyr of the 19th century democratic movement in Germany

Böll, Heinrich (21 December 1917 - 16 July 1985), writer and winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1972

Bruch, Max (6 January 1838 - 2 October 1920) composer

Calatrava, Álex (born 14 June 1973), Spanish professional tennis player

Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel von (born 2 May 1973), Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter

Ernst, Max (2 April 1891 - 1 April 1976), artist

Gossow, Angela (5 November 1974) The lead vocalist of the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy

Heidemann, Britta (born 22 December 1982), épée fencer and Olympic medalist

Herr, Trude (4 May 1927 - 16 March 1991), actress and singer

Höner, Stefanie (born 2 August 1969), actress

Kier, Udo (born 14 October 1944), actor

Jutta Kleinschmidt (born August 29, 1962), offroad automotive racing competitor

Klemperer, Werner (22 March 1920 - 6 December 2000), Emmy Award-winning comedy actor

Klibansky, Erich (28 November 1900 - 24 July 1942), Jewish headmaster and teacher

Kober, Adolf (3 September 1870 - 30 December 1958), Jewish rabbi and medievalist

Krekel, Hildegard (born 2 June 1952), actress

Krekel, Lotti (born 23 August 1941), actress and singer

Krupp, Uwe (born 24 June 1965), professional (ice) hockey player

Kühn, Heinz (18 February 1912 - 12 March 1992), Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia (1966–1978)

Lauterbach, Heiner (born 10 April 1953), actor

Liebert, Ottmar (born 1 February 1961), musician

Millowitsch, Marie-Luise (born 23 November 1955), actress

Millowitsch, Peter (born 1 February 1949), actor, playwright and theatre director

Millowitsch, Willy (8 January 1909 - 20 September 1999), actor, playwright and theatre director

Niedecken, Wolfgang (born 30 March 1951), singer, musician, artist and bandleader of BAP

Neuhoff, Theodor von (25 August 1694 - 11 December 1756), briefly King Theodore of Corsica

Offenbach, Jacques (20 June 1819 - 5 October 1880), composer

Ostermann, Wilhelm (1 October 1876 - 6 August 1936) composer

Petras, Kim (born 27 August 1992), singer

Prausnitz, Frederik William (26 August 1920 - 12 November 2004), American conductor and teacher

Päffgen, Christa aka Nico (16 October 1938 - 18 July 1988), model, actress, singer and songwriter (see Velvet Underground) and Warhol Superstar

Rüttgers, Jürgen (born 26 June 1951), Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia 2005-2010

Stockhausen, Markus (born 2 May 1957), musician and composer

Trips, Wolfgang Graf Berghe von, Formula One racing driver

Vondel, Joost van den (17 November 1587 - 5 February 1679), Dutch poet and playwright

Weimar, Robert (born 13 May 1932), legal scientist and psychologist

See also

Stadtwerke Köln, the municipal infrastructure company, operator of the city's railways, ports and utilities.

History of the Jews in Cologne

References

External links

www.cologne-tourism.com Cologne Tourism at koeln.de City of Cologne, official City of Cologne page Colonipedia, the city-wiki of Cologne KölnWiki, the city-wiki of Cologne

Category:Populated places established in the 1st century BC Category:Populated places on the Rhine Category:Catholic pilgrimage sites Category:Holy cities Category:Members of the Hanseatic League Category:Roman legions' camps in Germany Category:Carnival cities and towns Category:Roman colonies Category:Roman towns and cities in Germany Category:Imperial free cities Category:Turkish communities in Germany