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 Summer in the city |
Richard-Wagner-Street (Am Aachener Weiher) Cologne, NRW 50674 Germany +49 (0)221 500 0614 / +49 (0)221 508 0427 http://www.biergarten-aachener... |
When the sun is out, locals flock in their thousands to Cologne's beer gardens, which can seem a bit like holiday camps on hot summer weekends. One of the most popular is Aachener Weiher, set in a park close to the university and not far from the centre of town. Its location makes it a great place to take a break and cool off with a glass of Kölsch beer. Snacks like sausages and salad are also served. If you manage to stay sober, the nearby Museum of East Asian Art is also worth a visit. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Martin Donath |
 Photo: Fabian Huber |
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Biggest forest in central Cologne |
Dürener Straße (Lindenthal) Cologne, NRW 50931 Germany |
The Stadtwald stretches over more than 200 hectares, and is a pride to its name. Visitors entering the eastern part can recover from the stresses of every-day life among a plantation of trees which are over a hundred years old. A variety of leisure activities is possible: the wildlife enclosures are open to the public and rowing-boats can be hired for use on the pond. A large play-area offers fun for younger visitors. In the western and more recent part of the park there is the six-hectare Adenauer pond with a jogging-track. Several restaurants and beergardens offer a choice of refreshments. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: optochris |
 Fossils and minerals |
Zülpicher Straße 49 (Geologisches Institut der Universität Köln) Cologne, NRW 50674 Germany +49 221 470 2262 http://www.geomuseum.uni-koeln... |
The Geologische Museum situated in the Universtity of Cologne, will take you on a journey back through evolution. Here you will find stones and fossils dating back 3 million years. You will also be shown actual research methods, with which the geologists recreate environmental conditions, enabling us to understand exactly when and how the environment has changed. Tours are offered for free, though prior booking is essential. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: wcities |
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Cologne's oldest Lutheran cemetery |
Weyertal Sülz Cologne, NRW 50937 Germany |
The first Lutheran cemetery in Cologne was the Geusenfriedhof, which is first mentioned in records from the year 1576. The word Geusen means roughly beggar. Those who followed the religious Reformation were originally buried in unconsecrated ground, until donations made the construction possible. Nowadays, the Geusenfriedhof is a park. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Medieval city gatehouse |
Rudolfplatz Cologne, NRW 50674 Germany |
The Hahnentor on Rudolfplatz is one of the three medieval gate-houses which remain standing from the city fortifications (built c. 1180-1220). In times gone by, this gate, with its two towers, was the entrance used by royal visitors to the city, who came to pay homage to the Three Kings. Nowadays, the Hahnentor houses exhibitions of the work of young artists. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Patrick Fürst |
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Vital at all times: money, money, money. |
Neumarkt 18-24 Innenstadt Cologne, NRW 50667 Germany +49 221 227 2370 http://www.geldgeschichte.de |
Some people say that everything is a question of money. For the Geldgeschichtliches Museum (Museum of the History of Money) of the Cologne Kreissparkasse, this is certainly the case. This museum houses a staggering 40,000 items related to money, including old coins, bills and bankbooks. Exhibits feature such topics and items as: traditional money, the history of counterfeiting, piggy banks, and Bronze Age ingots. Each year, the museum creates two temporary exhibitions on money-related themes. Free admission. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Church at Neumarkt |
Apostelnkloster 10 Innenstadt Cologne, NRW 50667 Germany http://www.st-aposteln.de/ |
A tiny chapel that stood on the old Römerstraße in the late 9th century later developed into one of the most beautiful of Cologne's Romanesque churches, standing today on one of the busy streets around the Neumarkt. St Aposteln is the third of the "Kölner Dreikronchenanlagen" or churches associated with the three crowns on Cologne's coat-of-arms, together with St. Maria im Kapitol and Groß St. Martinl. The later baroque ornamentation, together with the mosaic decoration of the vault, were badly damaged during the Second World War and were not restored during the reconstruction. Some of the treasures once held by the church have survived: for instance, the Heribertkelch (chalice of St Heribert), which is said to have belonged to the canonised Archbishop Heribert (999-1021), who is the alleged founder of the church of St Aposteln. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: wcities |
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Comprehensive collection of the famous female artist |
Neumarkt 18-24 Innenstadt Cologne, NRW 50667 Germany +49 221 227 2363 / +49 221 227 2899 http://www.kollwitz.de |
The Cologne Kreisparkasse has organised the largest international collection of the works of Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945). It was founded in 1985, for the 40th anniversary of the artist's death. You can enter the museum via the elevators made out of glass in the Sparkasse branch at Neumarkt. Drawings from all stages of the artist's life are on show, depicting the social misery of her times. Graphic reproductions are also well represented, and all of her bronze sculptures are on display. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Ricardo Calovi |
 Photo: Patrick Kirsch |
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Museum mineralogy |
Zülpicher Straße 49b Uni-Viertel Cologne, NRW 50674 Germany +49 221 470 3170 |
The Institut für Mineralogie und Geochemie (mineralogy and geochemistry) offers a view into the world of minerals and rocks. The minerals on display come mainly from the area around Cologne, but also from the Siegerland and from much further afield, for example Namibia. Gemstones and jewellery also shine among the exhibits. As a special service, the museum offers free mineral identification and advice for collectors. Guided tours by arrangement. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: wcities |
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Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst |
Universitätsstraße 100 Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen 50674 Germany +49 221 221 286 08 http://www.museenkoeln.de |
The Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst (Museum of East Asian Art) is a haven of the exotic. The buildings and the gardens give the visitor a sense of having been transported to the Far East, even without entering the museum itself. Inside the house, which was opened in 1913, are a wide range of art-forms: Buddhist sculptures, paintings and all kinds of religious artifacts are on display. The Chinese sacred bronzes come from as early as the period between the 15th and the 3rd century BC. The museum also has examples of modern art to offer, for example, modern Chinese and Japanese paintings. Guided Tours are offered at midday on Sunday. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Rebuilt after the Kristallnacht |
Roonstraße 50 Uni-Viertel Cologne, NRW 50674 Germany |
Wilhelm Emil Schreiterer and Berhard Below designed the Neue Synagoge which was consecrated in 1899. During the Reichskristallnacht in 1938 the Nazis caused severe damage to this and many other synagogues. Parts of the facade survived, and in 1958 it was rebuilt with an altered layout inside, since it was to serve as a community centre for the Jewish inhabitants of Cologne as well. There is a museum in the west wing which tells the history of the Jews, especially during the Third Reich. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Beautiful romanesque church |
Am Pantaleonsberg 6 Uni-Viertel Cologne, NRW 50676 Germany +49 221 31 6655 |
The consecration of St Pantaleon's took place in October 1980, and the church became the new home of an influential cloister. The west side of this Romanesque church (966) is in the Ottonian style and comes from the architectural period before the Romanesque. In the mid-12th century, side aisles were added and in the 13th century a treasure-chamber was built, which still houses several important pieces. The shrines to St Albinus and St Maurinus are the most significant among a variety of church treasures which are on display in the chamber. Archbishop Bruno and Empress Theophanu are buried there as well. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Suvodeb Banerjee |