Cologne boasts an exceptional musical tradition and is, without doubt, the underdog amongst Germany's music cities. Influential musicians like Karlheinz Stockhausen and the band CAN have lived and worked here. And contemporary avant-garde and jazz musicians are at home here. Spearheaded by record labels such as a-musik and kompakt, the “Sound of Cologne” has turned the city into a world-renowned Mecca for electronic music. Pop art meets roman city. The Museum Ludwig houses the most extensive Pop Art collection in Europe. In the building on ...
Cologne boasts an exceptional musical tradition and is, without doubt, the underdog amongst Germany's music cities. Influential musicians like Karlheinz Stockhausen and the band CAN have lived and worked here. And contemporary avant-garde and jazz musicians are at home here. Spearheaded by record labels such as a-musik and kompakt, the “Sound of Cologne” has turned the city into a world-renowned Mecca for electronic music.
The Museum Ludwig houses the most extensive Pop Art collection in Europe. In the building on the banks of the Rhine, you can admire works by Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg and many more. Plus, throughout 2020 and 2021 it is home to an iconic Andy Warhol retrospective! Boasting more than 40 museums, 130 galleries, 12 large Romanesque churches and, of course, Cologne Cathedral Cologne is an El Dorado for art lovers. With over 70 theatres, the lit.COLOGNE, the Philharmonie, the Opera and the Schauspielhaus, Cologne also offers a world-class programme of cultural activities. Festival fans love the c/o pop Festival in the city centre, the Summerjam Festival on the lake “Fühlinger See” and the lit.COLOGNE literature festival. Cologne is also a design metropolis. Twice a year the “PASSAGEN” and “Le Tour Belgique” events turn Cologne into catwalk for fashion, art, music and inspiration.
Plan a truly perfect programme of social activities for your team or your event: from a perfume or office-golf workshop to adventurous city tours by rickshaw, double-decker bus or on foot, through to special events for connoisseurs, media and sporting people and all topped off with social activity programmes that are as colourful, young and as timeless as you and the city! We can provide you with offers for city tours, team events, media specials and much more! Inform now: social programmes for events in Cologne.
Cologne Cathedral is the third-highest church in the world, an architectural wonder, and, frequented by some 20,000 visitors a day, Germany’s most visited tourist attraction. Precious relics, sculptures, altars, floor mosaics, 100 square meter windows and a forest of columns provide a sense of deep spirituality. A total of more than 100 employees, including stonemasons, sculptors, roofers
and glass painters, maintain and preserve the 772-year-old Cathedral and world cultural heritage site. A new favourite of Cologne’s inhabitants is the 19-metrehigh window in the southern transept, designed by Gerhard Richter.
Cologne never stops inspiring. In summer, it is the Kölner Lichter firework display that bathes hundreds of thousands of visitors as well as Cologne Cathedral and Rhine riverscape in an extravaganza of light and colour. In winter, the Christmas markets enchant visitors and locals alike. Whether it's traditional at the Alter Markt square, downtown at Neumarkt square, nostalgic on the banks of the Rhine or hip in the Stadtgarten park, Cologne has a Christmas market to suit every taste.
Under the banner “Culinary Cologne”, KölnTourismus is focussing on the culinary side of Cologne and the region in 2020/21. Three homemade food festivals are on the menu this time! The “tagnacht-Festival” brings together established restaurateurs, young talents, street food pioneers, farmers, delicatessen producers and passionate pop-up chefs. Held in the shadow of the Kranhäuser buildings, “Tasting op Kölsch” showcases local food and beverage culture as well as Cologne's brewing and food specialities with their almost unparalleled history and tradition. At the “Fine Food Days Cologne” top chefs and wineries from the Rhineland will be showcasing themselves and, making a change from conventional gourmet festivals, running gastronomic experiments and crossover events at unusual locations We interviewed the Cologne top chef Daniel Gottschlich, owner and chef of the restaurant Ox & Klee. On visit.koeln you can discover the culinary diversity of the city.
The Cologne club scene hosts over 8,000 live music events every year - from the smallest DJ sets in bars, clubs and off-spaces to tour dates featuring top class indie bands in larger venues. There are venues throughout Cologne. Starting in the 1990s, a vibrant club scene has developed in the Ehrenfeld and the Belgian Quarter neighbourhoods. Lots of venues are within walking distance, perfect for club hopping. This mix of small and large venues gives Cologne a special vibe. The free “KlubKöln” app provides club information to your smartphone and helps to discover the scene for yourself.
You can find more about sights, culture and events at Cologne Tourism.
This lively city on the Rhine offers a wealth of cultural activities and numerous major events. Attractions such as Cologne Cathedral, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city's 12 Romanesque churches create an unforgettable impression on visitors. What’s more, the large number of museums and galleries, presenting top-class art of all styles and from all époques, contribute to Cologne’s unique cultural offerings.
Cologne has innumerable attractions for every taste. Most notably there is Cologne Cathedral, of course, which is the most-visited tourist attraction in Germany. Apart from that, art lovers will be spoiled by Cologne’s many galleries and museums. In addition, many of Cologne’s “veedel” offer a unique charm of their own for visitors.
Cologne Cathedral’s more than 157-metre tall towers make it the tallest cathedral in Germany and the third-tallest in the world. Moreover, the structure, which is on UNESCO’s Welt Heritage list, is over 765 years old and is regarded as the most-visited tourist attraction in Germany.
One of the typical foods in Cologne is certainly “Blootwoosch" (black pudding), which is served as part of the "Himmel un Äd" (heaven and earth) dish, along with onions, mashed potatoes, and apple sauce, or as "kölsche Kaviar" (Cologne caviar), along with a rye roll. Another unique dish is "Halve Hahn" (half a chicken) If you order it, you won’t get half of a fried chicken, as you might expect, but instead a thick slab of gouda cheese, half of a rye roll, as well as butter and strong mustard.
!["Köbesse" of Früh brewery © FRÜH](http://location.koelntourismus.de/images/!!w52z_c5s8-/koebesse-of-frueh-brewery.jpeg ""Köbesse" of Früh brewery © FRÜH")
