Cologne
- Geographical location: 50°56' North 6°57'East/ Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia
- Location: on the Rhine
- Area: 405.15 km2
- Climate: in the transition zone ofoderate maritim climate and continental climate
- Population: 991,395 (as of 2007)
- People: German
- Main religion: Christian
- Currency/monetary unit: Euro
- City subdivisions: 9 districts, 86 boroughs
Geography:
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North-Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.
Cologne - A vibrant metropolis on the Rhine:
Cologne's 2000-year history is palpable everywhere, whether you are visiting the Roman-Germanic-Museum, viewing the Roman praetorium, or strolling past medieval city gates. But modern Cologne pulsates too - more vibrantly than ever. In the past few years, Cologne's calendar of events has shown a clear trend: bigger, more international, more important. Large-scale events such as World Youth Day 2005, the Football World Championship in 2006, and the German Protestant Kirchentag ("Church Day") in 2007 provide impressive evidence of this fact. In November 2008, the final rounds of the World Cyber Games will take place in Kölnarena. In 2010, Cologne will host not only Gay Games, the world's largest gay-lesbian sporting event, but also the Ice Hockey World Championship. However, events that recur every year, such as the Cologne Karneval, Cologne Lights, Cologne Pride, and the Christmas markets are also major draws for the public.
Every year, the City's one-of-a-kind attractions, events of magnitude both great and small, and the Cologne feeling - that special "Cologne state-ofmind" - lure more 110 million daily visitors. In 2007, about 2.5 million visitor arrivals and 4.5 million overnight stays were recorded in Cologne hotels, inns, and boarding houses. A total of 26,000 beds in 254 hotels of all price classes were available for visitors to Cologne. Cologne is booming, as evidenced by the growing rate of visitors, whose numbers have consistently risen over the past ten years.
With over a million residents and a location at the heart of western Europe, the metropolis on the Rhine has become one of Europe's most important economic centers in the past few years. Cologne's main train station - a key hub in Europe's railroad network; the Cologne/Bonn Airport - an important location for low-cost carriers; Cologne's prime access to supra-regional motorways and the second-largest inland harbor in Germany - all of these provide optimal accessibility. Koelnmesse has been showing annual increases in the number of visitors - last year, there were over 50 international trade fairs and exhibitions. The best known trade fairs include photokina, Anuga, Orgatec, ART COLOGNE, and imm, the International Furniture Fair. The large choice of event sites and the outstanding surrounding area make Cologne an attractive place for meetings, incentive trips, conferences, and events of all types. With the creation of a central convention bureau under the KölnTourismus umbrella, there will be even better and more active use of the options for Cologne as a convention site.
Tourist Highlights:
Cologne Cathedral is, and will continue to be, the No. 1 tourist destination, not just of Cologne, but of Germany as a whole. Over six million people visit the UNESCO world heritage site every year. The imposing gothic cathedral houses the Shrine of the Three Kings, which makes it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Europe. Since August 2007, the window designed by the Cologne artist Gerhard Richter - a shimmering play of hues and tones with squares of every color - has added to the cathedral's attractions. Together with the cathedral, a "crown" of twelve Romanic churches represents "Holy Cologne". Numerous museums and galleries with extensive collections from every genre of art, the Cologne Philharmonic, the opera, and the lively theater scence round out the cultural array.
Cologne is one of the most popular shopping destinations in Germany. With a pedestrian count of over 17,000 per our, Cologne's Schildergasse was voted Germany's "Number 1 shopping street" in 2007. Major department stores and chain stores of brand-name merchandisers have settled in this location, as they have in Hohe Strasse. More and more young designers are setting up shops in the district known as the "Belgian Quarter", where they offer off-beat clothing and accessories in small boutiques with unique design. Comfortable, inviting cafes and trendy bars and restaurants turn shopping trips into a memorable experience.
Not far from the bravura of city life, there are an unusually high number of parks and gardens in Cologne. Green spaces cover considerably more than a quarter of the City's environs. Whether you are in the Flora or the adjoining Botanical Garden, in the Rheinpark or by the Aachener Weiher (Aachen Pond), Cologne's green oases offer space for relaxation and sports activities. The Cologne Zoo, the third-oldest zoo in Germany, has enjoyed continual popularity with its 20,000 square meter elephant park and its resident elephant calves, Marlar, Ming Jung and Maha Kumari. The Rhine offers various options for investigating Cologne and its surroundings, for example through a cruise on the "White Fleet" of the Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt ("KD").
The best place for visitors to experience Cologne's Kölsch Kultur is in Cologne's Old Town. Typical colorful gables houses extend along the Rhine Promenade, only few steps away from the Cathedral. In the many brewery taverns, visitors are always served cool Kölsch, a top-fermented beer, in typical cylindrical glasses known as Stangen, which are presented by Köbes, wait staff dressed in traditional garb. The Cologne cuisine is a good match with the beer, with gastronomic delights such as Halven Hahn (not a half chicken, but a rye roll with cheese), Himmel un Ääd ("heaven and earth" - mashed potatoes with apple mash), and Kölscher Kaviar (not caviar, but another sort of blood sausage with onions).
Economy:
The area within a radius of only 500 km all around Cologne generates over 40% of the entire GDP of the European Union. With seven of the leading international automobile corporations locating their European or German head -offices here, e.g. Ford, Toyota and Volvo, Cologne is also home to leading international companies from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, electro-engineering, mechanical engineering, and is also a centre for the production of music media and food stuffs.
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