Night view of the city
(photo by flugsicht)

The most attractive monuments and sights of Cologne are situated in a compact area, together with some of the most popular beer halls. Many of the visitors do not reach father than this area. We recommend you to take a long but very pleasant walk and to see the entire Old Town/Altstadt which occupies a very large territory of the city centre. It boasts the world's richest collection of 12 medieval churches built in the impressive Romanesque architectural style. They range in date from the 10th to the 13th century. Four of them feature exceptional beauty and artistic appearance, proving the outstanding architectural skills of the medieval builders. Don’t miss them. Their names are St. Maria im Kapitol, St. Gereon, Gross St. Martin and St. Aposteln.

Cologne Cathedral
(photo by Hornplayer)

The best approach to the Old Town is from the Deutzer suburb, situated on the right bank of Rhine. From here you can cross the river along the Deutzer Brücke from where reveals amazing panoramic views towards the Altstadt with its tall historic houses of the burghers, picturesquely lined along the banks of the River Rhine, crossed by 8 beautiful bridges, and the solid tower of the splendid Romanesque church of Gross St. Martin as a perfect complement to the majestic open-work steeples of the Cathedral rising high into the sky. The alternative way is through Hohenzollernbrücke from where you can also enjoy scenic views of the Dom.

Cologne was one of the most populous medieval cities in Europe, even rivaling the first place of Paris as a symbolic premier city of the Old Continent. That explains the large Altstadt of the city, the largest one in Germany. Unfortunately it was seriously damaged during the World War II and many important historic monuments were damaged or even fully destroyed. Today, the survived monuments are scattered among modern architecture, fashionable shopping streets and several business areas. Besides the renowned group of twelve Romanesque churches, the Old Town has some very interesting museums. But, of course, the Dom / Cathedral is its principal landmark and the major tourist draw of the entire city, region and country as a whole.