Köln, Cologne, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (CCAA)

Wiki Pedia*

Department of Chemistry, Universität zu Köln, Greinstraße 6, D-50939 Köln, Germany
E-mail: gerd.meyer@uni-koeln.de  − Homepage: www.gerdmeyer.de

Keywords: Cologne; Cathedral; Shrine

Cologne, German: Köln, in the local dialect: Kölle, is Germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants [1]. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC. Cologne was granted the status of a Roman "city" in the year 50 AD.
Cologne lies on the River Rhine, Fig. 1. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. It is the city's famous landmark and unofficial symbol, a Gothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. The Twelve Romanesque Churches are outstanding examples of medieval sacral architecture.
The University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) with approximately 44.000 students is Germany’s largest and one of Europe's oldest universities, founded in 1388. 

Figure 1. Cologne as viewed from the River Rhine from the South. The “Dom” and the largest Romanesque Church, Groß St. Martin, are seen on the left bank of the River. Straight ahead is the Hohenzollernbrücke, one of the seven bridges of Cologne, for trains and pedestrians.

Cologne is a major cultural center of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The city's Trade Fair Grounds are host to a number of trade shows such as the Art Cologne Fair, the International Furniture Fair (IMM) and the Photokina. Cologne is also well-known for its celebration of Cologne Carnival. 
Within Germany, Cologne is known as an important media center. Several radio and television stations, including Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), RTL and VOX, are based in the city. The city also hosts the Cologne Comedy Festival, which is considered to be the largest comedy festival in mainland Europe.
The center of Cologne was completely destroyed during World War II. The reconstruction of the city followed the style of the 1950s, while respecting the old layout and naming of the streets. Thus, the city today is characterized by simple and modest post-war buildings, with few interspersed pre-war buildings which were reconstructed due to their historical importance. Some buildings of the "Wiederaufbauzeit" (era of reconstruction), for example the opera house, are nowadays regarded as classics in modern architecture. Nevertheless, the uncompromising style of the opera house and other modern buildings has remained controversial.

References
[1] W. Pedia, B. Author, Wikipedia 2009, 1, 355.