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CologneGermany
Germany, facts and history in brief Cologne (German: Köln; Kölsch: Kölle) is, in terms of population, the fourth largest city in Germany and the largest city of the German province of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its Cathedral, its uniquely brewed Kölsch beer, the original Eau de Cologne, and its celebration of Carnival and Christopher Street Day. It is one of the most important German inland ports, and considered the economic, cultural, and historic capital of the Rhineland. It is the 16th largest city in the European Union. At the end of 2004, Cologne's population was 969,709, using the standard method of only counting persons whose primary residence (German: Hauptwohnsitz) was in the city. The city of Cologne includes those with non-primary residences (German: Nebenwohnsitz) in its figure, raising it to 1,022,627. Its location at the intersection of the river Rhine (German: Rhein) with one of the major trade routes between eastern and western Europe was the foundation of Cologne's commercial importance. In the Middle Ages it also became an ecclesiastical centre of significance and an important centre of arts and education. Cologne was devastated by the Allies during World War II, by the end of which 99% of Cologne's Jewish population had been annihilated. Cologne has one university, which has around 49,000 students (autumn semester 2004/2005) and is renowned for its economics program. In addition to the university, it has three colleges. Fachhochschule Köln (University of Applied Sciences of Cologne), with its 18,000 students, is the biggest college in Germany. A total of 70,000 students study in Cologne. Cologne is the seat of a Roman Catholic archdiocese. Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom), a Gothic church, was completed in 1848. In 1996, it was designated a World Heritage site; it is the city's major landmark and unofficial symbol, and claims to house the relics of the Three Kings. The city is 43% Roman Catholic and 18% Protestant, while 39% of the population professes other religions or none. Until World War II and the ensuing process of urbanisation and influx of refugees from Eastern Germany, Roman Catholics comprised the vast majority of Cologne's residents, and the Catholic cultural influence is strongly present in the city today, particularly regarding the celebration of Carnival. . The city covers about 405.15 km²; (about 156 miles²), is located at 50°56'33? N 06°57'32? E, and is between 37.5 and 118.04 m above sea level. Its car registration prefix is K. Cologne became a city in 50 A.D., had a bishop as early as 313, and, in 785, became the seat of an archbishop. The Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled a large area as a secular lord in the Middle Ages, but in 1288 he was defeated by the Cologne citizens and forced to move to Bonn. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League, but became a free city officially only by 1475. In World War II, it was repeatedly bombed, and much of the city was in ruins. It took some time to rebuild the city, but afterwards it grew again, and, in 1975, reached 1 million inhabitants for about one year. . Places of Interest in Cologne
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details). About Wikipedia Disclaimers In 1978, after the communist regime in Hungary adopted a more liberal attitude (I was a refugee after the brutal suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution), my daughter, Sarolta and I went to visit Hungary. Using this opportunity we purchased a 3 months Eurail Pass, to visit and explore most major cities in Europe including Germany. At that time there was the Berlin Wall and two Germanies. We did visit East Berlin, but didn't see very much of East Germany, except through the train windows on our way to Berlin. The photos from this trip will have to be scanned and I will do that soon as possible. Sooooooooooon. Hui Chin and I visited Cologne during our trip around Germany in
2005. Unfortunately I do not have many of my photos left of this place, although we had four cameras between us and we taken many, many photos wherever we went, two of my cameras, with large, 512 MB SD Cards and many thousands of photos on them with my valet and money, were stolen from my bag, later into our trip, by some 'lowlife'.
You can click on these photos for an enlargement.
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