Cologne, Germany

Cologne is the largest city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany and the fourth largest city in Germany, with 1.1 million residents in the city area and 3.6 million in the metropolitan area. Cologne is located on the left (west) bank of the Rhine River, approximately 35 km southeast of Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, and 25 km northwest of Bonn. The city's medieval Catholic Cologne Cathedral is the second tallest church in Germany after Ulm Cathedral and the third tallest church in the world. Built to house the Hall of the Three Kings, it is a globally recognized landmark and one of Europe's most popular attractions and pilgrimage destinations. The world cultural heritage Cologne Cathedral was built in 1248 and was not completed until 1880 according to the original medieval plan. It took 632 years to build, making it the longest church in the world to date. Cologne's twelve Romanesque churches further shaped the cityscape. In 1709, Cologne began producing cologne, which made Cologne famous and "cologne" has since become a general term. Cologne was founded as a Roman city called Colonia Agrippina in the 1st century AD on the territory of the Germanic tribe Ubius, hence the name. Agrippina was later abandoned and Colonia became the name of an independent city, which later developed into the modern German name Cologne. Cologne was the capital of the Roman province of Germania and the headquarters of the Roman army in the region until it was captured by the Franks in 462. In the Middle Ages the city flourished due to its location on one of the most important main trade routes between Eastern and Western Europe, including the Brabant Road, the Régia Road and the Via Publica. During the Holy Roman Empire, Cologne was a free imperial city and one of the main members of the trade union Hanseatic League. It was one of the largest cities in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Prior to World War II, the city was occupied by the French between 1794 and 1815 and by the British between 1918 and 1926, and became part of Prussia in 1815. During World War II, Cologne was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany, which reduced its population by 93%, mainly due to evacuations, and destroyed almost the entire thousand-year-old city center. Post-war reconstruction resulted in a very complex urban landscape, with only major historical landmarks such as city gates and churches restored, 31 of which are Romanesque, as can be seen in this set of photos, where modern and ancient buildings coexist in the central area of ​​the city. #greentourism #germanytravel #overseastravel #europetravel #germanytravel #rhineriver #cologne #colognecathedral #worldheritage #worldheritageculturalheritage #deutschland #koln