I visited Cologne from 15 to 18 April 2022, primarily for the Altstadt, Cathedral, Museum Ludwig, and to meet up with a friend. I also made a day trip to Aachen on the 16th.
Hohenzollernbrücke with Kölner Dom (“Cologne Cathedral”) on the other side of the Rhine River.Blossoming trees along the river walk in Cologne.“Flora and Botanical Garden” in Cologne.Cruise ship on the Rhine, seen from Zoobrücke in Cologne.Alter Markt (“Old Market”) in Cologne.Cologne Cathedral; the original foundation stone was laid in 1248 AD and it was consecrated in 1322 AD, but wasn’t fully completed until 1880 AD – it then had to be extensively restored after World War II.Façade of Cologne Cathedral.Close-up of numerous saintly sculptures on the Cathedral.Roman cellar (2nd/3rd-century AD) excavated around the southwest corner of the Cathedral.Looking up at the spire of the south bell tower of Cologne Cathedral.Rhine River seen from Cologne Cathedral.Looking toward the Colonius telecommunication tower (266 meters high).Processional Cross made in the 13th-century AD.Reliquary monstrance of Saints Amandus and Matthias Wendel Dederichs.Another view of the Cologne Cathedral’s façade; with a height of 157.38 meters, the Cathedral was the tallest man-made structure in the world (from 1880 to 1884 AD) until it was surpassed by the Washington Monument.Interior of Cologne Cathedral.Looking across the nave at the stained glass windows.Looking up at the tall ceiling of the nave (43.35 meters high).Stained glass depicting the Last Supper, Pietà, and the Four Evangelists (left to right: Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).Ambulatory inside the Cathedral.Altar in Cologne Cathedral.One of many chapels inside the Cathedral.Looking up at the stained glass above the choir.Triptych in Cologne Cathedral.Cologne Cathedral, seen from a terrace on the Museum Ludwig – a modern art museum with a large collection of Picasso’s artwork.‘The Portable War Memorial’ by Edward Kienholz (1968 AD).‘Portrait of Bert Brecht’ by Hans Jürgen Kallmann (1956 AD).‘The Station of Perpignan’ by Salvador Dalí (1965 AD).‘Oval Dish with Ornamental Border ‘ by Pablo Picasso (1951 AD).‘The Kiss’ by Pablo Picasso (1969 AD).‘Lunch on the Grass’ by Pablo Picasso (1961 AD).‘Harlequin with Hands Folded’ by Pablo Picasso (1923 AD).‘Seated Girl’ by Henri Matisse (1909 AD).‘An Artists Group (The Painters of the Brücke)’ by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1925/26 AD).‘Yellow House’ by Marc Chagall (1924 AD).‘Portrait of Dr. Hans Koch’ by Otto Dix (1921 AD).Gothic style Council Tower (built in 1414 AD) on the Cologne City Hall building – Germany’s oldest city hall with over 900 years of history.Ruins of Old St. Alban – a medieval Romanesque church that was heavily damaged during World War II.Groß Sankt Martin (“Great Saint Martin Church”), which was originally built in the 13th-century AD.Interior of Great St. Martin Church.Band playing inside Papa Joe’s Jazz Bar.Heinzelmännchenbrunnen – a fountain that commemorates a legend about Heinzelmännchen, which are gnomes that used to do all the work in Cologne at night so the citizens could be lazy during the day.
