"Cologne" Cologne by Ramonq

Arriving in Cologne on a train that has just glided along the Rhine River through one of the most scenic train rides in Europe, I felt like I reached the end of a fun rollercoaster ride. Beautiful green pastures slowly gave way to prettu houses and cloned apartment blocks. As one approaches the city centre, a towering medieval church spire that completely dominates the skyline gradually looms above you. Little did I know that this is Cologne's premier icon, the majestic Koln Cathedral, called Dom by the Kolners. The train terminated at the Hauptbahnof and as soon as I left the station, I was right in the thick of things, central Cologne!

Rathaus

Cologne is very similar to many German cities that were reconstructed after the devastating bombardment by Allied troops during World War II. It's clean and orderly and most of the buildings are fairly new that are mainly low-rise Teutonic-style apartment blocks. Ubiquitous trams, seen in all major European cities, ply the streets and U-bahns whisk you efficiently through the bowels of Cologne. It's like Frankfurt without the skyscrapers or Munich without the mountains. Cologne is an efficient first World city where everything works and schedules run on time. It's an easy place to explore, but most of its interesting sights are within the Zentrum

St Martin Church

Maybe I was a bit jaded when I was in Cologne, but the city felt familiar after having visited a few German cities. But one thing that's etched on my mind was this huge dark gray cathedral on the bank of the Rhine River standing over a very lively city square which is the ideal place to observe Cologne's lifestyle. At the square, innovative buskers entertain the crowd and political proselytisers hand out leaflets to unususpecting commuters spilling out from the U-bahn station underneath. But inside the massive cathedral, it's quiet, dark and cavernous. Dom is a Catholic sanctuary which invites its visitor to ponder, reflect and of course, take pictures!

Heumarkt

The ancient Romans laid the foundations for Cologne. The respected Roman general, Agrippa, set up a town next to the Rhine River as a retirement village Roman legionnaire veterans. Located in the province of Germania, Cologne took a turn for the better when his grand-daughter, Agrippina, married her uncle emperor, Claudius, and she bestowed the town a higher status and was called "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium" from where Cologne's name was derived. Cologne became in important trade centre of Germania. A roman bathhouse can still be viewed underneath the Gross St. Martin. In the dying days of the Roman Empire, Cologne was besiged by barbarians, the Huns and the Franks, and the city was finally abandoned by the Romans in the 5th century AD

The Dom!

The power vaccuum left by the Romans was filled in by the archbishops after most of Europe was swept with Christian fervour. Cologne's stature improved when an important Christian relic was moved to the city and it soon became a must-see pilgrimage site. Cologne had a monopoly on the Rhine river trade and the city prospered during the middle ages. The foundations of the Dom were laid in 1248 but it took another 600 years to see its full fruition! By the 18th century Cologne declined as a backwater town with little prospect. The French conquered Cologne in 1801 and new public works were introduced. The Prussians then took over the city a few years later, and the Dom was finally completed in 1880. Cologne was badly destroyed during WWII, but the Dom somehow remained intact. During the later half of the 20th century, under the German Republic, Cologne underwent intensive reconstruction work. Thanks to the prosperous times after the war, Cologne now has improved its infrastructrure, with First World facilities and good living standards.

Koelsch Beer

The city of Cologne is now around 2 million. It is a major German city whose close proximity to the Euro-capitals of Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg has its fingers on the European pulse. Cologne is very much up to date with European thoughts and trends. It's location along the Rhine River makes it an important commercial centre and new industries have set up in Cologne. Cologne definitely has many other German cities to contend with,particularly East German cities; and it's main challenge is to attract German industries to invest there, otherwise, it call fall by the wayside yet again.

• Pros:The City Centre
• Cons:Mostly reconstructed building
• In a nutshell:City by the Rhine