Cologne city overview :
Set in the beautiful Westphalian landscape of impressive hilltop castles, postcard-size villages, steeply wooded hills and terraced vineyards, Cologne is the state's largest city and the cultural capital of the Rhineland. Cologne is distinctive and original, a city with its own dialect, its own mentality and a merry twinkle in its eye - and not just during its famous carnival! Cologne is the twinspired cathedral, the Rhine and great art. It is 2,000 year old Roman sites, mighty Romanesque churches, medieval houses, lively shopping streets, super-modern architecture, art galleries and museums, comprising a wealth of archaeological treasures which were greatly increased by discoveries made after the devastation of the Altstadt during World War II.
Built on the banks of the Rhine, some of the best views of the city, its magnificent bridges, warehouses and floating restaurants are from a river cruise. An elegant city, Cologne is a favourite throughout Europe as a conference venue, hosting conventions and fairs covering everything from heavy engineering to popular music. 'Eau de cologne' was invented here (in 1709) and is still produced in the city.
Apart from its sights, the best reason to visit Cologne is to experience its friendly atmosphere - it's one of the most fun-loving cities in Europe. Much of the activity centers around pubs, where people gather to drink Koelsch, the local beer, which is served in small glasses. ‘Koelle Alaaf!’ That's the battle cry you hear in Cologne every spring. It signifies that carnival has arrived - a time of year that is known here as the ‘fifth season’. The city's famous pre-Lenten Karneval really gets things going. Huge procession of over 50 bands, 100 floats and 8,000 costumed locals travel along a six km route through the city throwing over 40 tons of chocolates and sweets plus thousands of bouquets to spectators lining the route. Carnival enthusiasts wearing brightly colored costumes take control of the city. They crowd the streets, bars and even the supermarkets. Musicians beat their drums or play popular carnival songs on their trumpets and flutes. Cologne seems to be out of its mind for five days and nights on end. The city is well worth a visit at carnival time.
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 Koelner Dom
(Cologne Cathedral)
This majestic structure is one of the world's great cathedrals - the spiritual and geographical heart of the city. It's the largest Gothic cathedral in Germany. Begun in 1248 to house the relics of the three Magi which had been brought to Cologne by Frederick Barbarossa's chancellor Reinald von Dassel 75 years earlier, the Dom was not completed until 1880. The result is essentially Gothic with an emphasis on impressive vertical lines. The lavishly carved choir stalls dating from 1310 are the oldest in Germany and the life-size cross, at over a 1,000 years old, is believed to be the oldest in existence. Behind the elegant bronze-and-marble altar, is The Shrine of the Three Magi, the most important and valuable object in the cathedral. It's designed in gold and silver in the form of a triple-naved basilica and decorated with relief figures depicting the life of Christ, the Apostles, and various Old Testament prophets. From the top of the Dom's south tower there are panoramic views across the city and surrounding area.
 Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst
(Museum of Applied Art)
The focus is on interiors and style of living. The collection of European applied art from the Middle Ages to the immediate present and the high-quality collection of design since 1900 can be experienced there. It offers a tour through rooms designed to illustrate the most various epochs and styles since the Gothic period. Furniture and tapestries, objects used in dining and banqueting, utensils and textiles designed to the highest standard, small sculptures, luxury objects and objects of ornamentation tell the story of previous periods.
 Wallraf-Richartz Museum
One of the great traditional picture galleries in Germany. Medieval and early modern paintings from the period between 1250 and 1550 form the historic core of the museum’s collection. The Baroque section with major works by Rubens, Rembrandt and others and the 19th century section with paintings from the Romantic period, Realism, Impressionism and Symbolism and a small collection of sculpture are other important focal points of the collection. In the Corboud collection the museum has in addition an outstanding collection of works of Impressionism and especially Post-Impressionism.
 Schnuetgen Museum
This is Cologne's best collection of religious art and sculpture. It's all displayed in the unique ambiance of a medieval church building, St. Cecilia's Church (Caecilienkirche), which is a fine example of Rhenish-Romanic architecture. The visitors may admire ivory work from the Carolingian period and that of the Saxon emperors, goldsmiths’ work, sculptures in wood and stone from the Romanesque to the Baroque period, glass painting, textiles and ecclesiastical treasure art from the Gothic period to the Rococo.
 Fuer Ostasiatische Kunst
(Museum of East Asian Art)
Founded in 1913 to exhibit the Fischer Collection, the original museum building was destroyed during World War II and replaced in 1977 by the current Japanese-inspired construction and landscape garden. Its collection of Buddhist painting and wood sculptures, Japanese screen painting, coloured woodcuts, lacquer work, Chinese religious bronze objects, ceramics, furniture and calligraphy is regarded as one of the most important in Europe. A special attraction of the museum is the Japanese Zen garden which can be seen from the exhibition rooms.
 Schokoladenmuseum
(Museum of Chocolate)
Located in an extraordinary 2000 square meter (6500 square feet) building of brick and glass on a small promontory close to the Altstadt, the Imhoff-Stollwerck Museum (also known as the Chocolate Museum) celebrates the story of chocolate from bean to wrapper. Part of the exhibition is a walk- through arboretum containing cocoa trees and exotic plants, but the highlight is a chocolate fountain oozing 'schokolade', which visitors are encouraged to sample.
 Volksgarten
(National Park)
Boasting an average 75 sq.m. of green space per resident, Cologne prides itself on being a ‘green city’. Volksgarten (People’s Garden) is a lovely park setting, located in the south of the city. It features natural vistas, walking paths, and a lakeside environment for picnics and day excursions. The park offers travelers a relaxing retreat from the bustle of the city.
 Messe und Ausstellungs GMBH
(Trade Fair Grounds)
In Koelnmesse’s Congress Center over 2,000 events are held annually. It is thus one of the largest in any of Germany?s trade fair cities. With the Congress Center West and the Congress Center East, two fully-equipped congress centres are available within easy reach of each other, complete with ballrooms, meeting rooms, conference rooms and restaurants.
The latest communications technology is standard: Video conference studio, AV technology, lighting technology, loudspeaker systems, direct lines to radio and TV stations, room furnishings, signs, hostesses, simultaneous translation facilities.
 Hauptbahnhof Koeln / Colonaden
(Main Railway Station)
The "Colonaden" - a train service and shopping centre with around 70 specialist shops, cafes, and restaurants in space of approximately 11,500 square metres - was completely reconstructed. With its historic steel and glass construction, Cologne's main railway station is far and away the most important rail junction in Europe. Each day, more than 1,300 trains link Cologne with the rest of Germany and abroad, including 14 high-speed links with the ‘Thalys’ via Brussels to Paris, London, and Amsterdam. Four times a day, the luxury train ‘Metropolitan’ travels to Hamburg. Almost 150 other ICE, IC and EC trains stop in Cologne. Since August 2002, a new high speed railway connection between Cologne and Frankfurt shortens the travel time for both cities to only one hour. In addition to the ICE, regional express trains and S- trains are going to stop there, too.
 Flughafen Koeln-Bonn
(Cologne - Bonn Airport Konrad Adenauer)
Cologne - Bonn Airport Konrad Adenauer (CGN) is located 10 miles (16 kms) southeast of Cologne. Many domestic and international carriers use Cologne-Bonn Airport Konrad Adenauer, one of Germany's prime airports. The two-terminal complex of Cologne-Bonn Airport Konrad Adenauer has excellent passenger facilities. Guests can transfer between terminals on a free shuttle bus that runs every ten minutes. There are two long-term multi-storey car parks (car parks 2 and 3) at the airport, a short-term multi-storey car park in front of Terminal 1 and a car park, P-Nord, next to Terminal 2. A shuttle bus runs from car park 3 to the terminals. Taxis are readily available outside Terminals (journey time: about 15 min). Airport shuttles are available to/from Cologne every 15 minutes Monday-Friday and every 30 minutes Saturday-Sunday (journey time: approx.20 min).
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