Sign in with Facebook"City of Wurstigkeit" Cologne by Nemorino
Cologne Travel Guide: 1,607 reviews and 3,989 photos
The German word Wurstigkeit means a lackadaisical, couldn't-care-less attitude. It comes from the common German expression "Das ist mir Wurst" (literally "That is to me sausage") meaning I am not interested in the topic under discussion and have no opinion about it.
People in Cologne (which in German is called Köln) have a reputation for Wurstigkeit and tend to be proud of it. They point out that they have the biggest and craziest Carnival celebration in all of Europe, and consider themselves to be more relaxed and less up-tight than people in other parts of Germany who unaccountably get upset by little things like incompetence and corruption.
A few years ago there was a huge corruption scandal in Cologne involving kickbacks for the construction of a new garbage incinerator. Dozens of politicians were involved, mostly from the Social Democratic Party, which is one of several reasons why this once-proud party (remember Willy Brandt?) is now rapidly withering away.
A big news story several years ago was about the collapse of the Cologne city archive building in March 2009. Two people were killed and numerous historical documents badly damaged or destroyed. Archive employees had reported cracks in the walls, but their reports disappeared somewhere in the city administration, either because nobody cared or because they assumed their superiors didn't want to know about such things.
By coincidence a new subway line is being built right in front of where the archive building used to be, but city officials deny that the subway had anything to do with the building's collapse.
In 2004 a nearby church steeple starting sinking and leaning off to one side, but of course that had nothing to do with the subway construction either.
The whole subway project is quite controversial, by the way. Critics consider it to be mainly a prestige project and a way of freeing up the streets for more and faster cars, to the detriment of us non-motorized human beings.
Aside from the Wurstigkeit, which may or may not amuse you depending on your temperament, Cologne is a pleasant place to visit because of its location on the banks of the Rhine River, where there are good walking and cycling routes and of course excursion boats with coffee and cake. On the river bank there is also a very popular chocolate museum and even a mustard museum.
Cologne also has large and famous cathedral which is right next to the station -- or rather: the station is next to the cathedral. And the city is full of bicycles, which is always a good sign.
Reviews (22)
Stained glass windows in the Cathedral
Things to Do
(13)
Photos: 1. Sanctus Petrus 2. A set of stained glass windows 3. Windows at the east end of the Cathedral The Cologne... more travel advice
A million bicycles in Cologne
Transportation
(8)
Photos: 1. Cycling in Cologne 2. Cycling by the river The Cologne city government estimates, on its website, that... more travel advice
Barge traffic on the Rhine River
Transportation
(8)
Just about any time you cross one of the bridges or walk along the riverbank, you can expect to see large barges... more travel advice
Weddings at the old City Hall
Things to Do
(13)
Photos: 1. Cleaning up after a wedding at the old City Hall 2. Sign telling wedding guests not to throw rice The old... more travel advice
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Cologne Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Beautiful Cologne"
- "Koelsh, ja wohl"
- "Köln am Rhein"
- "Roman History, Magnificent Cathedral, and Kölsch"
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Comments (30)
An interesting read, Don, about Wurstigheit in Köln. I have always thought that such an attitude did not exist i Germany. The museums look very interesting here.
Regina, thanks for your ratings and nice comment. Yes, Wurstigkeit is rampant in Germany, but especially in Cologne.
Lots of museums and so much culture here. And a million bicycles - wow!
Nice update and photos to your Cologne page. Very informative. One of the few cities in Germany I have written about.
Thanks for coming back to my Cologne page. Since you are an urban planner, I suppose Cologne must be an interesting city for you – to see the few things they have done right and the many things that have gone wrong over the years.
Great photos of Cologne - it is my list but I haven't got there yet!
Thanks for the tour of Köln Don! I passed through on the train once so didn't see much. I'm happy to see now what I missed. I guess if ever a German train would be late it would have to be Köln. :-)
Given my love of chocolate, it's surprising that I've never been to a chocolate museum. Someday I must go to one! Bicycles and opera, Cologne is your kind of place :-)
That chocolate museum sounds wonderful. All those bycles are fabulous. Tehachapi has been putting in lots of bike trails in town. None out where I live, but that does not discourage many who brave the road. Excellent page Don!
Hi Don, I finally made it to your page about the town I live in (or rather, where I study - I'm actually not living directly there) :-) It's very nice, I did not know about the mustard museum! And like you, I love the old railway to Frankfurt. So lovely. Great tips about the train station!
I remember when the Stadtarchiv collapsed, everybody was so shocked and also afraid that it could happen in other places, too. Medieval studies is part of my degree and so many medieval manuscripts were lost because of the collapse, my professor told us about it :-((
Thank you for leaving me that quotation by Karl Deutsch! True (I think)! Great Cologne page! Not familiar (and fond) of their "Wurstigkeit" yet.
Hi Don. I though I would re-visit your Cologne pages. I must revisit this city, hopefully next year. Alan
Nice Cologne page... Y-es, "Pushkin is our everything" and you still have 13 more operas to go!