Cologne
From Imakoopedia
Cologne (German: Köln, Cologne dialect: Kölle) is the fourth largest city in Germany, with just over 1 million inhabitants. It is renowned in Germany as the media capital, with a number of private TV stations being situated in Cologne, as well as the gay capital (though Berlin is a contender for this title). Cologne is situated in Northrhine-Westphalia, along the river Rhine, pretty much in the middle of Germany.
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Understand
Cologne is one German city that has a very distinctive flavor to it. Most inhabitants take an exorbitant amount of pride in their city and the local language, resulting in sayings like Wo mer sinn, is Koelle (Cologne is where we are). Cologne is a very friendly place, and the people are in general very friendly and open. The city is known for being very un-self-consciously gay. (Or is that self-unconsciously?)
The biggest festivity in Cologne, only surpassed by Christopher Street Day in the last few years, is carnival (or Fastelovend) in February. In difference to the rest of Germany, where carnival is mostly a rather staid affair, in Cologne, it's a huge party that starts on Thursday (Altweiberfastnacht) and ends on Tuesday (Veilchendienstag) with the Nubbelverbrennung (burning the spirit of carnival to atone for the sins committed during the carnival session). It sometimes seems that because the people of Cologne regularly go mad once a year for five days, they are much saner the rest of time.
Get in
By plane
Cologne/Bonn airport (CGN) (http://www.koeln-bonn-airport.de) is the fastest-growing airport in Germany, and is the base of operation for a number of lowcost airlines like GermanWings or Hapag-Lloyd Express.
At the newly opened train station the local trains (S-Bahn) take you to the city center in about 15 minutes. They run every 20 minutes at a cost of EUR 2.00. This ticket even allows you to use any means of public transport (U-bahn, tram, bus) in the city of Cologne up to your final destination.
By train
Cologne is connected to Germany's fastest railway line, the ICE3 line which travels at up to 300km/h. You should have no problems getting a connection to any German city from the central station (Hauptbahnhof) or from the Köln-Deutz station; the two smaller stations Köln Süd and Köln West serve mostly regional trains. As of Jun 13, 2004 you can catch regional and fast trains directly from the airport too.
Cologne central station takes part in the Thalys high-speed train network, connecting to Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt six times a day. The special ICE Sprinter and Metropolitan trains also stop at Cologne central station. Some ICE connecting to to Frankfurt and Nuremberg only stop at Köln-Deutz.
By car
Don't go to Cologne by car. Don't even think about it. You will be better off parking on the outskirts and going into the center by subway. If you absolutely must enter the city by car, try to get one with a navigation system, as signs with street names are sparse, and many streets are one-way. Watch out for bicycle riders. In the inner city, pedestrians are likely to walk on the street (which will happen way more often than in other cities of Germany. A symbol for the Cologne way of life?).
There are several large parking garages in the inner city, most notably the one at the opera and the one below the Dome, but they are very expensive. If you don't want to pay a fortune, good places to park are at Köln Messe in Deutz, on the opposite side of the Rhine from the Dome; just take a quick walk across Hohenzollernbrücke, and you're standing in front of the Dome. Or for the opposite end of the city, park near the university at Zülpicher Wall; there, you can get a 24 hour pass for about EUR5.
By bus
By boat
Get around
Cologne has a very good subway and bus network; one- and three-day-passes are available.
But, on the whole, the center of Cologne is not that big for a city of one million. It is entirely feasible to walk from one end of the center, say, the Rudolphplatz, to the other end, say, the Dom, on foot.
See
- Dom (cathedral), Am Domkloster 4 (just outside central station). The Dom in Cologne is the first sight you will notice when exiting the central station.
- The synagogue, on Roonstrasse, near Rathenauplatz, is notable for its architecture that looks, well, right out of Gotham City. In summer, there is a beer garden at Rathenauplatz that is very pleasant.
- 12 Romanesque Churches, e.g. St. Kunibert (with wonderful stained glass windows), Groß St. Martin, St. Aposteln, St. Gereon.
- Museum Ludwig, museum of modern art, near central station and the dome hosts a worthy regular exhibition, as well as temporary exhibitions.
- Museum für angewandte Kunst, Museum of Applied Art, also near the dome, has a collection of popular design items, as well as temporary exhibitions.
- Cologne has a number of other museums (http://www.museenkoeln.de/) to offer.
Do
- Christopher Street Day (http://www.csd-cologne.de/) has already surpassed the carnival as regards the number of visitors and is now the biggest festivity in Cologne. It is celebrated with a huge parade through the city and countless parties and activities in the weeks before the parade and on the weekend of the parade.
Learn
Buy
Records
There is an abundance of record stores in Cologne, but most are hidden in non-tourist quarters.
- For a mainstream record store, go to Saturn, which hosts the "world's largest CD collection", as they quote on their store windows. It's huge, and to pre-listen a record, you just have to hold it under one of the many scanners spread throughout the shop. Always worth a visit.
- Independent record stores are spread around Saturn: Cross the street for 2nd hand and punk, follow the ring north, and you will find Jazz, Electro and HipHop at Schallschock record store. Famous alternative music-store Normal is south of Saturn.
- For electronic music, get off at Friesenplatz, and go to groove attack in Maastrichter street. Also famous is Kompakt record store. Both are connected to a label sharing the name, and putting out fine German electronic music.
Clothing
- For mainstream shops, go to metro station Neumarkt or Heumarkt, and search for "Schildergasse". More expensive shops are found on "Hohe Straße".
- A mix of freaky 2nd hand stores and places selling hip label clothes head to "Friesenplatz" and go to Ehrenstraße.
Books
- "Mayersche" and "Gonski" at Neumarkt are the biggest bookstores, you will find anything you want.
- On "Ehrenstraße", you will find cheap and arty books, take a look at "Buchhandlung König" at the eastern end, buy at "Taschen" at the western...
- Travel books are bought best at "Gleumes", between Zülpicher Platz and Rudolfplatz. They have only maps and travel books, but these from around the world.
Eat
Budget
- Falafel Habibi located on Zülpicher Straße. They have two stores, which should serve the same food.
- There is an abundance of Döner Kebap places around the town. Probably best now (though expensive) is Oruc Döner on Kyffhäuserstraße (near Barbarossaplatz).
Mid-range
- El Inca, Görresstrasse 2, near Rathenauplatz. Latin-american restaurant, open 1800-2400. http://www.el-inca.de/
Splurge
Drink
Typical Cologne beer is called "Kölsch" and served in bars around town in small glasses of 0.2l, so-called "Stangen" - but waiters will be fast to bring you a new one, once your old one is finished. In some bars, the waiter will put a new glass in front of you without being asked when he sees an empty glass, so it is easy to lose track of how much you drank. If you buy it bottled, take either "Reissdorf", "Früh" or "Mühlen", which are rated highest buy Cologne citizens.
- For traditional breweries, head to the Altstadt around the Dome, where the "Früh Kölsch" brewery is the most authentic place, famous both with visitors and locals. You will find a younger crowd at "Hellers Brauhaus" on Roonstraße, near metro station Zülpicher Platz.
- There are a lot of modern bars and lounges all around town. More mainstream ones are on Zülpicher Straße. For something more independent and funky on this street, try Umbruch (funky) or Stiefel (punky).
- A lot of stylish places are in the so-called Belgian quarter, e.g. famous M20 or the Hallmackenreuther.
- For a comprehensive list, see cologne-in.de (http://www.cologne-in.de/kneipen/), bars listed on the right.
Gay
Gay places in Cologne cluster in two parts of the city: around Rudolphplatz, and around Heumarkt. The bars around Rudolphplatz cater to the younger crowd, whereas around Heumarkt you will find bars for bears, leather guys and fetish places.
Rik magazine (http://www.rik-magazin.de) has a good list of locations under "szene guide".
Near Rudolphplatz:
- Ex-Corner (http://www.excorner.de), on Schaafenstrasse. Open 1900--well, whenever. Sometimes they don't bother closing up. This bar is always packed, no matter when you go there, even at 6 or 7 in the morning. One of the cornerstones of the gay scene in Cologne.
- Café Schön, on Schaafenstrasse. Open 1800--, in the location of the Café Huber, which closed in the end of 2003, after being the meeting point for the youngest crowd in Cologne for many years.
- Clip (http://www.clipcologne.de/), on Marsilstein, near Schaafenstrasse. Open 2100--, Discotheque.
- Café Barflo (http://www.cafe-barflo.de), on Friesenwall. Open 1030--0100, trendy café.
- Era, on Friesenwall, opposite of Café Barflo. Open 1100--0100.
Near Heumarkt:
- Quo Vadis, vor St. Martin, open 1100--2400. Allegedly the place to start a gay evening in Cologne. Even if you plan on frequenting the fetish places in the neighborhood -- nobody will look at you strangely if you sit there in full fetish rubber or leather. (Personal experience.) Café with bistro, small dishes, coffee is not very good.
- Chains (http://www.chains-koeln.de/) on Stephanstrasse. Open 2200--0200/0500. Biggest leather and fetish bar in Cologne, two darkrooms.
- Deck 5 (http://www.deck-5.de/), Mathiasstrasse 5. Open 2200--0400/0900 (sat.), after-hour on Sunday. Fetish bar with darkroom.
- Stiefelknecht, on Pipinstrasse. Open 2200--0400. Fetish bar. Traditionally the last place to go on a cruising tour.
Nightclubs:
- Blue Lounge Party (http://www.blue-lounge.com/party/party.html), every third Saturday, at the Bürgerhaus Stollwerck in Dreikönigenstrasse 23. Starts at 2200, tickets EUR5. Percussion-, brazil-, balearic- and deep house, techno, trance. A must for people who like this kind of music.
- Bodycheck Party (http://www.bodycheckparty.de/), every second Saturday at the Filmhaus Köln on Maybachstrasse 111, metro station Hansaring. House, techno, always very good video projections.
- 3Klang (http://www.artheater.de/) on Ehrenfeldgürtel 127, metro station Venloer Str./Gürtel. Every third Friday, 2200--0500.
- Neuschwanstein (http://www.neu-schwanstein.de/), on Mittelstrasse 12-24, near Friesenplatz. Open Wednesday (2200--), Friday, Saturday (2300--)
- H90 (http://www.kings-und-queens.de/), on Hohenzollernring 90, metro station Friesenplatz. Every Saturday, 2300--0500.
- Blue Lounge Bar (http://www.blue-lounge.com/), on Mathiasstrasse, lesbian bar. Off-shoot of the very successful party mentioned above.
Sleep
Budget
- Station Hostel (http://www.hostel-cologne.de/) (Marzellenstr. 44-48), a backpacker's heaven, just around the corner from the main railway station. Dorms from 15€. The one farther away from the main station has a bar worth a visit.
Mid-range
Splurge
- Excelsior Hotel Ernst (http://www.excelsiorhotelernst.de/), Domplatz, 50667 Köln, phone 49 221-2701, ehe@excelsiorhotelernst.de
Contact
Talk
Cologne dialect called "Kölsch" is quite typically, and still often heard (although the town abounds with immigrants). Here are some typical phrases, more useful for the experienced German speaker, but also revealing a bit about Cologne state of mind.
- Kölsch refers to local dialect and beer - the only language, you can drink!
- Et hät no immer joot jejange = Somehow, it always went well in the end.
- Et kütt, wie et kütt = It's going to be how it's going to be.
- Wat kapott es, es kapott = What is broken is broken.
- Paraplü = Regenschirm, umbrella
- schwaade = (eher ziellos) erzählen
- Hüürens!/Luurens!/Saachens! = Hear! Look! Say!, used in a virtually equal manner to get attention from someone.
- Pass op watte sächst! = Watch out, what you are saying! (jokingly...)
- Saachens, wo es denn he de tram? = Tell me, where is the metro? (you will get plenty of laughs for this!)
The Akademie för uns kölsche Sproch (http://www.koelsch-akademie.de/) (academy for the Kölsch language) offers courses in the local language.
Stay safe
Cologne is, like the rest of Germany, a rather safe place. In the area around the Dome, watch out for pocket-picking children.
External links
- Official Web site (http://www.koeln.de/)
- Stadtrevue (http://www.stadtrevue.de/), alternative town magazine. Best event calendar!
- go2koeln.de - Stadtteil-Magazin (http://www.go2koeln.de/), online mag. news, event calendar, culture
- Cologne-In (http://www.cologne-in.de/), alternative online mag with city map.
- Kölner Stadtanzeiger (http://www.ksta.de/), mainstream newspaper, not too interesting.
- taz Köln (http://www.taz-koeln.de/), local part of German leftist newspaper tageszeitung (http://www.taz.de/). Website's crap, but worth checking what's up in town.
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