Cologne - Carnivals & Cathedrals
A Guide to the City’s Festivals and Heritage Sites
Cologne is a much underated city in guide books. Germany's oldest city has many attractions for the visitor including its famous cathedral, carnival and comedy festival.
Cologne is one of those cities which is given little prominence in the guide books of Germany yet is well worth a visit when traveling to this area. It is labeled by the German Tourism Authority as ‘the art capital on the Rhine’, and is home to one of the country’s seven wonders, Cologne Cathedral; a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city plays host to a 3 month-long carnival period, commencing annually on 11 November and is also famous for its Chistopher Street Day parade, a festival for the gay community, celebrated in a number of cities throughout Germany and Europe.
Cologne - an Important Commercial Center
With a mainly Roman Catholic population of around 990,000, Cologne lies on the Rhine near the Moselle Valley. It is situated in the north west of the country, an intersection for Germany’s main trade routes and is a major commercial hub.
Cologne has been a cultural and commercial center for more than 2,000 years. It has more bars and restaurants per capita than any other German city and has nightlife to cater for everyone’s tastes, including an active gay scene. Housing several major television and radio stations, it is also a strategic media center.
Culture - Cathedrals and Museums
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is a Gothic masterpiece which took 650 years to complete. The largest Gothic church in northern Europe, it dates back to the 13th century and is believed to house the remains of the Three Wise Men. Twice daily cathedral tours are available from Monday to Saturday, priced at around 4 Euros, which includes admission to daily multivision shows. For a virtual tour, visit Cologne Cathedral’s dedicated website.
The Ludwig Modern Art Museum (Museum Ludwig) contains a collection of American masterpieces by Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, and European painters from the Modernist Movement, Henri Matisse, August Macke and Marc Chagall.
The Roman Germanic Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Museum) is steeped in history with around 3 million artifacts from the Roman Empire, including the world's largest collection of Roman glasses. Admission is 5 Euro. The museum is closed on Mondays.
Perfume enthusiasts will be interested in visiting the Farina House Fragrance Museum, birthplace of Eau de Cologne (water of Cologne), named after the city.
Cologne Carnival and Comedy Festival
Cologne’s famous 3 month-long carnival celebrations begin on November 11th and end on Shrove Tuesday, heralding the start of the Mardi Gras and 4 or 5 days of non-stop partying. Its origins go back some 2,000 years.
2008 carnival dates and itineraries are listed on the official Cologne Carnival website.
In July the party and carnival atmosphere continues with Germany’s biggest Christopher Street Day parade (CSD).
Anyone traveling to Cologne during mid to late October will catch its International Comedy Festival, the largest in mainland Europe. The festival has its own official website but it is currently only in German.
Arrive in Cologne during December and there is the added bonus of visiting the city's many traditional Christmas bazaars and markets.
Best Time to Travel to Cologne
An ideal time to travel to Cologne is in the early autumn/fall when the weather is cool but not yet cold. Many of its 250 hotels lower their prices until the carnival season begins, in the second week of November.
For more information on this historical, vibrant city visit the Official Tourism website of Germany.
