Cologne, NW

City of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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City of Cologne, Germany

Cologne (German: Köln) is Germany's fourth largest city and the largest city in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC. Cologne lies on the River Rhine and is regularly affected by flooding from the river and is considered the most flood-prone European city. The University of Cologne is one of Europe's oldest universities and the largest in Germany. Cologne's international airport is Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN). The airport is shared with the neighbouring city of Bonn.

The city's famous landmark and unofficial symbol is the Köln Cathedral, a Gothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. It is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Cologne also has twelve Romanesque Churches, illustrating examples of medieval sacral architecture. The roots of some of the churches date back as far as Roman times, and all the churches, with the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen, were very badly damaged during World War II. Reconstruction was only finished in the 1990s. Other tourist attractions in the city are the Farina Fragrance museum (the birthplace of Eau de Cologne) and the Chocolate museum officially called Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum.

City of Cologne, Germany official website: www.koeln.de