The city's very name bears witness to its Roman past as the town of Colonia. As well as the legacy from Roman times and the Middle Ages, particularly the world-famous cathedral, Cologne has an extremely lively arts and culture scene.
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Cologne can look back on a long and eventful history, and you can see evidence of this all over the city.
Cologne Cathedral is Germany's largest cathedral and a designated
UNESCO World Heritage site. The city's
Rheingarten Park and old quarter are both firm favourites with locals and tourists alike, a great place to enjoy a stroll and stop off at one of the
traditional breweries. You'll find a striking group of twelve large Romanesque churches in the city centre.
With a fascinating range of museums and the
Art Cologne art fair, Cologne's international reputation as a centre of art and culture is well deserved. The most important museums include the
Ludwig Museum and the
Wallraf Richartz Museum/Fondation Corboud, one of Germany's largest collections of paintings. The
Romano-Germanic Museum presents Cologne's archaeological heritage and the
Museum Schnuetgen houses one of the world's most important collections of art from the Middle Ages.
Cologne is surrounded by greenery. From native copses and unspoilt areas where game roams free to tranquil spots for relaxation and places where you can actively experience nature, there is no shortage of leisure facilities in the beautiful surrounding countryside.
For fascinating glimpses of nature at any time of year visit the
Arboretum with its Japanese section, the impressively laid out Flora, a garden monument with its incredible variety of plants, and, right next door, the hothouses of the botanical garden.
Finken's Garden is a garden offering practical ways for
children of all ages to discover nature. Children can observe, explore, smell, taste and touch what they find in the garden, allowing them to experience the diversity of nature and the changing seasons close up.
The incredible variety of plants, their significance for horticulture, technology, nutrition and for the construction and textile industry, are the themes of the gardens in the north of Cologne, generally referred to as the "Flora". Originally two separate gardens, the "Flora" is now one large park featuring a garden monument and a botanical garden.
