| Cologne Germany -- do you know of the first given | | | | aerial bombs, but luckily didn't collapse. When the city |
| name of the oldest German city? Do you know how | | | | was in ruins -- see picture at -- it took some time to |
| long it took to build its Cathedral? Do you further | | | | rebuild it, but afterwards its buildings and population |
| know what its scariest natural disaster is? Read on... | | | | grew again. So since 1975, the population of Cologne |
| Cologne Germany (Köln) is the oldest so the | | | | Germany always lays around 1 million inhabitants. |
| first German city. When it became city in 50 A.D., it | | | | So much the Rhine of the city brought prosperity |
| bore the name Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium | | | | and quality of life, so feared is its flood. The worst |
| (CCAA) because of the Roman Empress Agrippina. | | | | flood ever registered occurred in February 1784. |
| Cologne is catholic and had a bishop as early as 313. | | | | After an extremely long and cold winter the |
| In 785, it became the seat of an archbishop. The | | | | temperature jumped deep down. The Rhine river had |
| Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven | | | | frozen over and the thaw as well as the breaking |
| Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled a large | | | | open ice provided firmly for a record water level of |
| area as a secular lord in the Middle Ages, but in 1288, | | | | 13,55 m. That was ten meters above the normal |
| he was defeated by the Cologne citizens and forced | | | | level! |
| to move to Bonn. | | | | The tides, on which heavy ice floes floated, |
| Cologne Germany was a member of the Hanseatic | | | | devastated far parts of the development of the |
| League. It became a free city officially by 1475, but | | | | banks and all ships. 65 people died. The district |
| lost its free status and regained its archbishopric | | | | Mülheim on the right Rhine side was completely |
| during the French period. In 1815, at the Congress of | | | | destroyed. |
| Vienna, it became part of the Prussian kingdom. | | | | In more recent time, a flood protection concept plans |
| The start of building of Cologne Cathedral was in | | | | the establishment of sheet pile walls. That should |
| 1248, abandoned in the mid-1500s, and finished in | | | | protect old town up to a level of 10 meters against |
| 1880. That took 632 years; think about that... Just | | | | inundations. Still, old town consists of a magnet for |
| visit for a side step to the history of Cologne | | | | floods. |
| Cathedral. | | | | Despite of this, Cologne is well-known as the Fun |
| During the 19th and 20th century, Cologne | | | | City of all German cities. You go into a tavern and do |
| incorporated numerous surrounding towns, so that it | | | | not know anybody, and you go out with a lot of |
| had a population of 600,000 inhabitants by the time | | | | friends. It's very easy to come in contact with |
| of World War 1. | | | | Cologne people. In February, during Cologne Carnival, |
| In World War 2, Cologne Germany was repeatedly | | | | the whole Rhine land celebrates for at least six days |
| bombed. The Cologne Cathedral received 14 hits by | | | | -- with tons of sweets and kisses. |