Cologne

Cologne is a city full of contrasts: modern buildings face the older part of the city that traces back to the beginnings of the Christian calendar; the Rheinauhafen elegantly sums up the monument-protected environment and the latest technologies. The most impressive architectural sight, well-known far beyond German borders, is the Cologne Cathedral. It took 632 years of construction to complete, and 157 meters in height, it is the largest German ecclesiastical building. This city in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia nowadays is an important junction of trade and traffi c with the Rhine harbor as one of the most important inland harbors in Europe. Cologne is both an economic and cultural metropolitan spot as well as an international center of art and a stronghold of numerous media stations. Above all, Cologne has also gained worldwide reputation for its “fifth season of the year”. Carnival has strongly shaped the traditional city and its residents and is doubtlessly one of the reasons tourists come to Cologne.

www.koeln.de