Cologne Germany -- 18 Insider Tips -- Part 1 of 2

Would you like to know what the real interesting sights in Cologne Germany are? In this two-part article, I am going to let you know about 18 of my good ones.

If you would like to know something about Cologne Germany and its history, visit the Cologne link at the end of this article for information about that. In this two-part article I'll give you 18 insider tips of Cologne - short and sweet - so that you can print them out and easily scour the sights and restaurants.

First, once you arrive in the city, go to the tourist office. It's located at Cologne Cathedral in a street called "Unter Fettenhennen" (under fat hen ;-).

Now, shall we get started? Great!

Sightseeing and Culture

1. The city hall (Hansasaal) was built in 1330. Its Renaissance arcade (16th century) and tower (15th century) had been added later. The building complex suffered extensive damage during World War 2 and underwent reconstruction until 1972. It's located at Alter Markt.

2. The City Gates are awesome. Three of the total of twelve city gates from the mediaeval city fortifications (1180 - 1220) have been preserved and are still used today for various purposes. Just look for the Severinstor, the Eigelsteintor and the Hahnentor. The smaller Ulrepforte and restored sections of the city walls are to be found along the Sachsenring circular boulevard. Also, all of them have a U-Bahn stop.

3. The 4711 House, the new Gothic head office of the famous "Eau de Cologne" manufacturer with a carillon that chimes every hour, is located opposite the opera in Glockengasse. The number "4711" refers to house-numbering system adopted by the French occupying power in 1795. For greater clarity, all private houses were numbered sequentially from 1 - 7 404.

4. The Cologne gardens (Flora/Zoo) were landscaped in 1863 according to designs by Peter Josef Lenn