Chasing Summer –

The Best of Cologne: Cathedral, Kolsch, and 4711 Fragrance Exploration

Cologne is all about three things.

  1. the cathedral
  2. Kolsch
  3. 4711

Cologne Cathedral (Kolner Dom)

Cologne Cathedral is a world heritage site that dominates the area as soon as you leave the train station. Some amazing stats are that it is the worlds largest twin-spired church, Europe’s second-tallest church, and the world’s third-tallest church.

It is so tall, but it also sits on a raised part of the city, so it appears even larger when people approach it. It began construction in 1248 but wasn’t completed until 1880. There was about a three-hundred year pause in completion. That sounds like me when I have a big project. Start strong and then ignore it for a while.

The cross reads – Klaus Dick, and there are so many juvenile jokes floating through my mind.

Before the cathedral, other Christian buildings were located there from 818. It was built to house the relics of the Three Kings (Three Wise Men). There are a bunch of features inside the church that date back all the way to the 10th century.

I do love the doors to the old churches

Kolsch

Kolsch is a German beer that can only be produced in Cologne. It is forbidden to be brewed anywhere else.

Fruh Brauhaus is the most popular beer-garden in the Old Town.

Each brewery in the city makes its own variation of the drink and serves it in tall cylindrical glasses of 200 ml, called a Stange. Servers put marks on your coaster to tell how many you have had because they will keep on bringing them until you put the coaster on your empty to say that you are done.

This is the traditional serving tray. They will load up the ring with beers and bring them around.
More Sauerkraut soup and rye bread. I really like it.
This one was my favorite that I tried.
They still produce their own Kolsch since 1847. In Monheim, where the actual brewery is located, dates back to 1262.

4711

Is the house number of the original building where frangrances were made in 1792. Johann Maria Farina first created a frangrance in the early 18th century that was named “Water from Cologne” or “Eau de Cologne.”

The original building doesn’t exist anymore, but the new 4711 has a flagship store and museum. They even have a fragrance fountain that pipes out the original “Water from Cologne.” It smells pretty good.

One of my favorite/surprising things is that the whole shop smelled pleasant and not overwhelming. I kind of imagined walking into a department store where the ladies and gentlemen are trying to sell different perfumes and colognes and spraying the entire area with dueling scents. I hate walking in there, but here it was subdued, and even with the fountain, you needed to be up close to get the scent.

Other Sight-seeing

Of course, those three things aren’t the only things to see and do in cologne. There are plenty of other churches, shopping, and architectural sites.

Basilica St. Apostein
Minoritenkirche (Church of the Immaculate Conception) 1200s
This flying guy is inside the Church of Immaculate Conception- John Duns Scotus’ tomb.
Brass figurine outside the cologne shop
Town Hall in behind the buildings of Old Market
Opposite side of Old Market. Statue of Jan von Werth, a spurned suitor who becomes and acclaimed General.
Back side of Old Market.
empty fountain near Great St. Martin Church
Colorful houses in front of Grob St. Martin (Great St. Martin)
Statue of Prussia’s Friedrich Wilhelm at the end of Hay Market Square. This used to be part of the old Market Square and now has many restaurants and bars lining it.
Hidden random courtyard off of Old Market
Out front of the cathedral street artists will create washable art on the ground.
Hozenzollernbrucke – a railway and pedestrian bridge crossing the Rhine River. There are so many locks, and they are sold nearby as well.
Equestrian statues of German emperors and Prussian Kings flank the ramps on the bridge.
Science museum- flying cars- could’ve been in Harry Potter’s world.

My first impression of the city was that it is rougher and dirtier than the others I have visited, but I think some of that is the closeness of the railway and homeless aide center to old town. There was no separation. It definitely was more real.

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