Cologne, Germany - Recommendations and Review

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I will be perfectly honest, I was slightly disappointed in my visit to Cologne when I first arrived, but not for the reasons you might think.  Cologne is a beautiful city with so much to offer, I was just looking for the wrong things when I arrived.  I fully admit that I got spoiled when cruising down the Danube.  It seemed every place we stopped had this beautiful old town that held such rich history and fascinating stories.  I was disappointed that Cologne did not have that, but learned to appreciate its richer history. 

 

Cologne Cathedral

 

During WWII, 93% of Cologne was bombed and destroyed.  That doesn’t give the old town much of a chance to survive.  One of the most important buildings to survive, oddly enough, was one of the largest buildings in Old Town Cologne, the Cathedral.  The Cathedral did get struck by bombs but some of the efforts that the citizens took to protect it paid off.  The residents of Cologne had the foresight to remove the stain glass windows and place them in a bomb shelter for safe keeping.  Such a simple act made the rest of the building more resilient to the shock waves and concussive damage of the falling bombs.  The structure was built to be as open as possible to allow the light to flow through the building and this design made the building even more resilient against the falling bombs.  The beautiful cathedral survived the bombings and retains the original stain glass windows to boot.

 

Council Hall

 

Several other buildings, like the council hall (much like other cities town hall) and several other churches survived the war and still stand.  Almost everything else was destroyed and though they have tried to rebuild in the style of how the old town would have looked, it isn’t quite the same.  Now, that I am over my disappointment, I can see that the city of Cologne has much to offer, just not in the way I was expecting.

 

Kolsch Beer

 

Cologne is famous for its Kolsch Beer.  Much like champagne, it can’t be called Kolsch Beer unless it is brewed in Cologne.  Each pub seemed to have its own version of the brew.  There are over 20 different varieties of this beer and when we asked our guide which was the best he replied, “I don’t know.  By the time I get to number 20 I am drunk, I have forgotten what number one tasted like, and I have to go home and start again the next day”.  Beer is big in Germany, but it is really big in Cologne.

 

Eau de Cologne

 

Ever wonder where the cologne “Eau de Cologne” came from.  Well, the name should have given that away by now, but just in case you haven’t put it together, an Italian gentleman came up with the idea of using a base of high levels of Alcohol blended with lots of citrus oils and voila, you have Eau de Cologne.  It has been copied many times and the counterfeits, for the most part, have been put out of business, but the original and the family that created it, are still in Cologne.  So, you have an Italian man creating a German fragrance with a French name.  What could be better than that?

 

Bike Riding in Cologne

 

Want to do something more active in Cologne?  Try taking a bike ride.  The city has bike paths along the Rhine river and others running through town and the countryside as well.  The area is rich in history and can be a wonderful backdrop to getting out and enjoying some exercise and fresh air.  Consider doing something active and invigorating on your next trip to Europe.  Bike tours are becoming more and more popular.

 

Padlock Love

 

The tradition of couples attaching a padlock to the bridge and throwing the key into the river is said to have started here in Cologne.  So many locks are now attached to the main railroad bridge, that the city has tried to call a halt to the tradition.  The locks are becoming a problem.  Who knew that love could be an issue.

 

Cologne, it turns out had more to offer than an old town rich in history.  It turns out that it has a history of resiliency and determination.  Something we can all use a little more of in our lives.  Interested in visiting this interesting corner of the world?  Contact us, your Cologne experts and we can help you plan your perfect visit to Cologne.