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COLOGNE, Germany

Having achieved fame as a commercial and manufacturing center during medieval times, Cologne is now considered the cultural and economic capital of the Rhineland. Situated on the left bank of the Rhine River, its historic importance resulted from its location at the crossing of major European trade routes. It is the largest city of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is a major river port of western Germany.
Most of Cologne lies in a fertile lowland plain. It is laid out in the same semicircular shape in which it was originally built in 1180. Ring roads, called the Ringstrassen, have replaced medieval walls that once rimmed the city. Historic buildings and the main shopping and business streets lie within the Ringstrassen. Although about 90 percent of the central city was damaged during World War II, Cologne's appearance still reflects its history. There are religious and secular buildings and monuments that remain from all of the city's historic periods.
The Cologne Cathedral is the city's most impressive architectural feature. It stands on the site of a church completed in 873 but destroyed by fire in 1248. It was rebuilt between the 13th and 19th centuries and is the largest Gothic church in northern Europe. It houses a collection of art treasures that span a millenium. There are also Romanesque churches that date from the 11th to the 13th century.
Other outstanding buildings include the 15th-century Festhaus, or banqueting hall, which was later rebuilt as a concert and festival hall; the 16th-century arsenal; and the Gothic town hall. A new town hall stands near the perimeter of the city. Modern banks, offices, shops, a theater, and an opera house have been built among the historic buildings.

Culture and Education


The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum is the largest art gallery in the Rhineland. It has a broad collection that ranges from medieval times to the present. Other museums include the Schnutgen Museum of medieval ecclesiastical art; the Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst, with collections of art from China and Japan; and the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum with ethnological collections. There is a motor museum and a museum on the history of the production of eau de cologne.
A variety of musical programs runs throughout the year. Theater, opera, and ballet productions are popular. There is a major annual festival, which is part of the Rhenisch pre-Lenten carnival. The city also has its own folk festival. Much area is devoted to parkland, woods, sporting grounds, and lakes. There are zoological and botanical gardens to the north. In Rhine Park is the Tanzbrunnen, or Dancing Fountain, and halls for fairs and exhibitions. The Mungersdorf sports stadium is west of the city.
The University of Cologne, founded in 1388, was dissolved in 1798 during the French Revolution. It was reestablished in 1919. Cologne also has teacher-training colleges, a school of sports, and various colleges for the study of music, engineering, administration, and other professions and trades.

Economy


Banking and trade have remained important elements in Cologne's economy since the Middle Ages. Wine and textile production are also well-established industries. Insurance has become important, as have engineering, metalworking, chemicals, and the pharmaceutical industry. Other manufactures include engines, chocolate, and eau de cologne.

History


The area on which Cologne stands was colonized by Roman invaders in about 53 BC. It was declared a Roman colony in AD 50 by Emperor Claudius and named Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium after his wife who was born there. The colony was later made the headquarters of the governor of Lower Germany. The emperor Constantine the Great built a castle there in 310 and also a permanent bridge across the Rhine. Ceramics and glass were manufactured during Roman times. About 456 it was conquered by the Franks. The first-known mention of a bishop is in 313. By the 10th century the archbishop dominated the city, collecting a wide range of customs duties and other payments. From the 10th century the city's trade and industry grew considerably.
During the Middle Ages Cologne was a leader in the Hanseatic League, an organization of merchant cities. It was known also for its arts and scholarly teachers. Following a decline after the Thirty Years' War, which ended in 1648, a new era of prosperity began when Prussia took control in 1815.
With the introduction of railroads, the city became a great railway center. Following German defeat in World War I, the British maintained a military post in Cologne until 1926. World War II left the city in ruins, but many new business districts and residential suburbs were later developed. Population (1989 estimate), 927,500.


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