Cologne, Germany: The Cathedral, Old Town, and the Rhine

Restaurant in Cologne's Old Town

In early March, my husband Art spent a few days at a meeting in Cologne, Germany, and has allowed me to share a few of his photos. Cologne (Koeln or Koln with an umlaut over the “o” as it is spelled in German) is located on the Rhine River, in western Germany.  It is one of Germany’s oldest cities and its fourth largest.  This was Art’s second visit to Cologne.  The first was when he was in high school and spent a year in Berlin as an exchange student and visited Cologne on a school field trip.

Cologne Cathedral

I have never been to Cologne, but I remember learning about its most famous landmark, the Cologne Cathedral, when I studied northern European art history in college.  Soaring above the city, it seemed to us as students to be the Gothic version of a giant wedding cake. In Art’s photo, you can see how the enormous structure completely dwarfs the people on the sidewalk. (The people in white standing on boxes are mimes.)  The church, started in 1248 and completed in 1880, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The spires of its two towers reach 157 meters high! For some music and a glimpse of the interior click here .

Besides visiting the cathedral, Art enjoyed walking the narrow cobblestone streets of Cologne’s Old Town, savoring traditional food (sauerbraten and spaeztle) at local restaurants, sampling the local beer known as “koelsch”, and walking along the Rhine.  Someday I would like to go there myself.

Cologne:  Bridge over the Rhine