Cologne

About the travel destination Cologne The city was founded by the Romans, was a major ecclesiastical center in the Middle Ages, and is now a major center for German media; a young, vibrant, and diverse European city of the future. Around one-third of all German TV shows are created here, solidifying Cologne’s reputation as a city for fun and entertainment. Not just the breweries and the restaurants, but also the light rail and party discounters make a living from the city’s fun-loving, party image, partly driven by its role as a major center for Carnival. Cologne’s pride parade is also the largest queer event in Europe. With more than two thousand years of history, the city also has a lot of culture to offer: a Roman tower and praetorium, a medieval city wall, and twelve Romanesque churches, the world-renowned Gothic cathedral, and Renaissance-era city hall, a cemetery built during the French era, Prussian forts, modern architecture from the 1950s, significant collections of ancient and contemporary art, a lively design scene, and the Academy of Media Arts. Not only do the city’s theatres, opera house, and orchestra enrich the cultural landscape, but also such events as Art Cologne, lit. COLOGNE, the EIGHT BRIDGES music festival, and the many evening open houses in the city’s cultural and academic institutions. On the other hand, Cologne still retains a certain provincial air which some find charming and others find embarrassing. It forms the humus which nourishes the infamous Cologne cronyism sometimes ranging between peccadillo and corruption. »Cologne is a feeling«, is the much-quoted slogan with which the city promotes itself, but it is not necessarily clear in its meaning. It’s in the cronyism that the two faces of the city are most clearly expressed, symbolized in the two Cologne originals of »Tünnes« and »Schäl« and which in turn contribute to the whole Cologne myth. About the Go Vista City Guide Cologne The informative city guide offers: The city’s Top 10 and the author’s favourite places City tours with detailed maps Trips into neighbourhoods and the surrounding area Vista Points: sights and museums Explore & Enjoy the city: accommodation, restaurants, theatres and musicals, shopping, travelling with children, recreation and sport Chronicle of the city Service from A to Z with helpful tips High-quality softcover with flaps Fold-out city map including additional detailed maps and public transport map