Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [495]
Köln Welcome Card (per 24/48/72hr €9/14/19, group €18/28/38) Offers free public transport and discounted admission, tours, meals and entertainment. It’s available at the tourist office and participating venues.
EMERGENCY
Dental emergencies ( 01805-986 700)
Gay Attack Hotline ( 192 28)
Medical emergencies ( 192 92)
INTERNET ACCESS
Giga-Center Köln (Map; 6502 6442; Hohenzollernring 7-11; per hr €0.50-1.50; 24hr) Huge entertainment centre with 130 high-speed computers.
LAUNDRY
Cleanicum (Map; Brüsseler Strasse 74-76; 8am-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-8pm Sun) Shares space with a streetwear store; has wi-fi.
Eco-Express Waschsalon (per load from €1.90, per 10min of dryer time €0.50; 6am-11pm Mon-Sat) Has branches at Friedrichstrasse 12 (Map), Richard-Wagner-Strasse 2 (Map) and Hansaring 68 (Map).
MEDICAL SERVICES
Uniklinik Köln (off Map; 4780; Kerpener Strasse 62; 24hr; Lindenburg-Universitätskliniken) Major hospital located 1.6km southeast of Zülpicher Viertel.
MONEY
ReiseBank (Map; 134 403; Hauptbahnhof; 7am-10pm)
POST
Post office (Map; WDR Arkaden shopping mall, Breite Strasse 6-26; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourist office (Map; 2213 0400; www.koelntourismus.de; Kardinal-Höffner-Platz 1; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun)
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Sights
KÖLNER DOM
Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral; Map; 1794 0200; 6am-10pm May-Oct, 6am-7.30pm Nov-Apr). With its soaring twin spires, this is the Mt Everest of cathedrals, jam-packed with art and treasures. Its loftiness and dignified ambience leave only the most jaded of visitors untouched.
Construction began in 1248 in the French Gothic style but proceeded slowly and was eventually halted in 1560 when funds ran out. The half-built church lingered for nearly 300 years and even suffered a stint as a horse stable and prison when Napoleon occupied the town. A few decades later, a generous cash infusion from Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV finally led to its completion in 1880. Luckily, it escaped WWII bombing raids with nary a shrapnel wound and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1996.
The Dom is Germany’s largest cathedral and must be circled to truly appreciate its dimensions. Note how its lacy spires and flying buttresses create a sensation of lightness and fragility despite its mass and height. This sensation continues inside, where a phalanx of pillars and arches supports the lofty nave. Soft light filters through the dazzling stained-glass windows, including the spectacular new one by Gerhard Richter in the transept – a kaleidoscope of 11,500 squares in 72 colours, Richter’s abstract design has been called a ‘symphony of light’ and, in the afternoon especially, when the sun hits it just so, it’s easy to understand why.
Among the cathedral’s numerous treasures, the pièce de résistance is the Shrine of the Three Kings behind the main altar, a richly bejewelled and gilded sarcophagus said to hold the remains of the kings who followed the star to the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The bones were spirited out of Milan in 1164 as spoils of war by Emperor Barbarossa’s chancellor and instantly turned Cologne into a major pilgrimage site.
Other highlights include the Gero Crucifix (970), notable for its monumental size and an emotional intensity rarely achieved in those early medieval days; the choir stalls from 1310, richly carved from oak; and the altar painting by local artist Stephan Lochner from around 1450.
To get more out of your visit, invest €1 in the information pamphlet or join a guided tour. Tours are offered in English (adult/concession €6/4) at 10.30am and 2.30pm (2.30pm only on Sunday) and more frequently in German.
For an exercise fix, climb the 509 steps up the Dom’s south tower (adult/concession €2.50/1.50; 9am-6pm May-Sep, 9am-5pm Mar-Apr & Oct, 9am-4pm Nov-Feb) to the base of the steeple that dwarfed all buildings in Europe until Gustave Eiffel built a certain