History of Cologne
Encyclopedia
The History of Cologne
, Germany's oldest major city, can be broken into several periods.
In 39 BC
, the tribe of the Ubii
entered into an agreement with the Roman forces and settled on the left bank of the Rhine. Their headquarters was Oppidum Ubiorum — the settlement of the Ubii, and at the same time an important Roman military base. In 50 AD, Agrippina the Younger
, wife of the Emperor Claudius
, who was born in Cologne, asked for her home village to be elevated to the status of a colonia
— a city under Roman law. It was called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis (a "colony of Claudius and the altar of Agrippina"), or Colonia Agrippina, "the Colony of Agrippina". In 80 AD water supply was built, the Eifel Aqueduct
, one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire, which delivered 20,000 cubic metres of water to the city every day. Ten years later, the colonia became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Germany Germania Inferior
with a total population of 45,000 people.
In 260 AD Postumus
made Cologne the capital of the Gallic Empire
which included the German and Gallic provinces, Britannia and the provinces of Hispania. The Gallic Empire lasted only fourteen years.
By the 3rd century, only 20,000 people lived in and around the town. In 310 AD, Emperor Constantine I
had a bridge over the Rhine constructed; this was guarded by the castellum Divitia (nowadays "Deutz").
In 321 AD Jews are documented in Cologne. When exactly the first Jews arrived in the Rhineland area cannot be established, though the Cologne community claims to be the oldest north of the Alps.
AD Postumus
made Cologne the capital of the Gallic Empire
which included the German and Gallic provinces, Britannia and the provinces of Hispania. The Gallic Empire lasted only fourteen years. By the 3rd century, only 20,000 people lived in and around the town. In 310
AD, Emperor Constantine I
had a bridge over the Rhine constructed; this was guarded by the castellum Divitia (nowadays "Deutz"). In 321 AD Jews are documented in Cologne. When exactly the first Jews arrived in the Rhineland area can not be established anymore and the Cologne community claims to be the oldest north of the Alps.
Colonia was pillaged several times by the Franks in the 4th century and the city finally fell to the Ripuarian Franks
in 459 AD. Two lavish burial sites located near the Cathedral
date from this time of late antiquity.
In 355 AD, the Alemanni tribes besieged the town for 10 months. At the time, the garrison of Colonia Agrippina was under the generalship of Marcus Vitellus. The city was captured after the months of siege and was reestablished as a Roman colonia several months afterwards by the soon-to-be Roman Emperor Julian
. In 455, the Salian Franks
finally captured Cologne and made it their capital city. In 795 the chaplain to Charlemagne
, Hildebold was elevated to Archbishop of Cologne, a newly created archbishopric.
. He was responsible for the construction of the first cathedral
, a square building erected early in the 4th century. In 794, Hildebald (or Hildebold) was the first Bishop of Cologne to be elevated to Archbishop of Cologne. Bruno I
(925-965), younger brother of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
, founded several monasteries
here. Subsequent Archbishops of Cologne became very influential as advisers to the Saxon, Salian and Hohenstaufen
dynasties. From 1031, they also held the office of Arch-Chancellor of Italy
. Between 1159 and 1167, Rainald of Dassel
was Archbishop of Cologne, as well as being Imperial Chancellor and adviser to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
In 1074 the commune
was formed. By the 13th century, the relationship between the city of Cologne and its archbishop had become difficult, and after the Battle of Worringen
in 1288, the forces of Brabant and the citizenry of Cologne captured the Archbishop Siegfried of Westerburg (1274–97), resulting in an almost complete freedom for the city; to regain his liberty, the archbishop recognized the political independence of Cologne, but reserved certain rights, notably the administration of justice.
Cologne effectively became a free city
after 1288; this status was formally confirmed in 1475. The Archbishopric of Cologne was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire
, but Cologne was independent so the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn
and later in Brühl
until they returned in 1821. The ruling archbishops came from the Wittelsbach
dynasty . As powerful electors
, the archbishops repeatedly challenged the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th century, resulting in complicated legal affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means, usually to the advantage of the city.
Long-distance trade in the Baltic intensified, as the major trading towns came together in the Hanseatic League
, under the leadership of Lübeck
. It was a business alliance of trading cities and their guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe and flourished from the 1200 to 1500, and continued with lesser importance after that. The chief cities were Cologne on the Rhine River, Hamburg
and Bremen
on the North Sea, and Lübeck on the Baltic. Cologne was a leading member of the "Hanse
" (Hanseatic League), especially through trading with England. The Hanse gave merchants special privileges in member cities, which dominated trade in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Cologne's hinterland in Germany gave it an added advantage over the other Hanseatic cities, and it became the largest city in Germany and the region. Thus Cologne's central location on the Rhine river placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west and was the basis of Cologne's growth. The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were based on the city's major harbor, its location as a transport hub and its entrepreneurial merchants who built ties with merchants in other Hanseatic cities.
The city was proud to build and maintain the great Cologne Cathedral
, with sacred relics that made it the destination for many worshippers. With the bishop not resident in the city, it was ruled by patricians (merchants carrying on long-distance trade). The craftsmen formed guilds, governed by strict rules, which sought to obtain control of the towns; a few were open to women. Society was divided into sharply demarcated classes: the clergy, physicians, merchants, various guilds of artisans; full citizenship was not available to paupers. Political tensions arose from issues of taxation, public spending, regulation of business, and market supervision, as well as the limits of corporate autonomy.
resulted in the occupation of Cologne and the Rhineland in 1794. In the following years the French consolidated their presence. In 1798 Cologne became an arrondissement
in the newly created Département de la Roer. In the same year the University of Cologne
was closed. In 1801 all citizen of Cologne were granted the French citizenship. In 1804 Napoléon Bonaparte
visited the city together with his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais
. The French occupation of Cologne ended in 1814.
and Russia
n troops. In 1815, Cologne and the Rhineland were allocated to Prussia
.
until 1926 Cologne was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine
under the terms of the armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty.
Contrary to the harsh measures taken by French occupation troops, the British acted with more tact towards the local population. Mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and future West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer
acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially that the British opposed French plans for a permanent Allied occupation of the Rhineland.
As part of the de-militarization of the Rhineland
the fortifications had to be dismantled. This was taken as an opportunity to create two green belts (Grüngürtel) around the city by converting the fortifications and their clear fields for fire into large public parks. However this project was not completed until 1933.
In 1919 the University of Cologne
, closed by the French in 1798, was founded anew. This re-foundation was considered a substitute for the German University of Strasbourg
that became part of France just as the rest of Alsace
. Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic
and progress was made especially in respect to public governance, city planning and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and copied by other German cities.
As Cologne competed for hosting the Olympics a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. Beginning of the 1920s civil aviation was readmitted and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport
soon became a hub for national and international air traffic. Second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport
.
Local elections on 13 March 1933 resulted in the NSDAP winning 39.6 % of all votes, however the catholic Zentrum Party
came in second with 28.3 %, followed by the social-democratic SPD
with 13.2% and the communist KPD
with 11.1 %. One day later, on 14 March, Nazi followers occupied the city hall and took over government. Communist and Social Democratic members of the city assembly were imprisoned and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed by the new powerholders.
It was planned to rebuild a large part of the inner city, with a main road connecting the Deutz station and the main station, which was to be moved from next to the cathedral to an area adjacent to today's university campus, with a huge field for rallies, the Maifeld, next to the main station. The Maifeld, between the campus and the Aachener Weiher artificial lake, was the only part of this over-ambitious plan to be realized before the start of the war. After the war, the remains of the Maifeld were buried with rubble from bombed buildings and turned into a park with rolling hills, which was christened Hiroshima
-Nagasaki-Park in August, 2004, as a memorial to the victims of the nuclear bombs of 1945. An inconspicuous memorial to the victims of the Nazi regime is situated on one of the hills.
On the night of 30/31 May 1942 Cologne was the target for the first 1,000 bomber raid
of the war. The number of persons reported killed was between 469 and 486, around 90 % of them civilians. More than 5,000 people were injured and more than 45,000 lost their homes. It was estimated that up to 150,000 of Cologne's population of around 700,000 left the city after the raid. The Royal Air Force (RAF)
lost 43 aircraft out of the 1,103 bombers sent. At the end of World War II
, 90% of Cologne's buildings were destroyed by Allied
aerial bombing
raids, most of them flown by the RAF.
On 10 November 1944 a dozen members of the anti-Nazi Ehrenfeld Group
were hanged in public. Six of them were 16-year-old boys of the Edelweiss Pirates
youth gang, including Barthel Schink
; Fritz Theilen
survived.
Bookseller Gerhard Ludwig
, who worked for the influential publisher Neven du Mont in 1941, was dismissed immediately when he got into trouble with the Gestapo
for political reasons. Upon his return to Cologne after his release from Sachsenhausen concentration camp
in 1946, editor Neven du Mont spotted him and complained about the release of prisoners from the camps - he still saw them as "criminals".
The outskirts of Cologne were reached by US-troops on 4 March 1945. The inner city at the left bank of the Rhine was captured on 6 March 1945 in half a day, meeting minor resistance only. Because the Hohenzollernbrücke
was destroyed on retreat by German pioneers, the boroughs at the right bank of the river remained under German control until mid of April 1945.
to be elected to the City Council
. The first pogrom
against the Jews was in 1349, when they were used as scapegoats for the Black Death
, and therefore burnt in an auto de fe. In 1424 they were evicted from the city, but were allowed back again in 1798.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Jewish population of Cologne was about 20,000. By 1939, 40% of the city's Jews had emigrated. The vast majority of those who remained had been deported to concentration camps by 1941. The trade fair grounds next to the Deutz train station were used to herd together the Jewish population for deportation to the death camps and for disposal of their household goods by public sale.
On Kristallnacht
in 1938, Cologne's synagogue
s were violated or set on fire.
was chosen as the political capital of the newly set-up Federal State
North Rhine-Westphalia
. With Bonn
being chosen as the (provisional) capital of the Federal Republic, Cologne took benefit being sandwiched between the two important political centers of former West Germany
. The city became home to a large number of Federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990 a new situation has been politically co-ordinated with the new federal capital city of Berlin
.
In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz
called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of debris". Schwarz designed the masterplan of reconstruction in 1947, which called for the construction of several new thoroughfares through the downtown area, especially the 'Nord-Süd-Fahrt' (North-South-Drive). The Masterplan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after the war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already to a certain degree evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier in times when the majority of downtown lots were undeveloped. The destruction of famous Twelve Romanesque churches
like St. Gereon's Basilica
, Great St. Martin
, St. Maria im Capitol and about a dozen others in World War II meant a tremendous loss of cultural substance to the city. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks like the Gürzenich was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when Romanesque church of St. Kunibert
was finished.
It took some time to rebuild the city. In 1959 the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. Afterwards the city grew steadily, and, in 1975, the number exceeded 1 million inhabitants for about one year. Since then, the number has lingered just below this point.
In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered from two factors: First, the steady growth in the number of media companies, pertaining to both the private and the public sector. Catering especially to these companies is the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strongly visual focal point in downtown Cologne and includes the KölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent highrises. And second, a permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which makes Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe.
Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair
, the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s are rented out to RTL
, Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarter.
A controversy started after Muslims in Cologne sought to build a mosque.
Most important for the history of Cologne since the Middle Ages is the City Archive Cologne
, which has been the largest in Germany. Its building collapsed during the construction of an extension to the underground railway system on 3 March 2009 .
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany 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.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany's oldest major city, can be broken into several periods.
Roman period
In 39 BC
39 BC
Year 39 BC was either a common year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Saturday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, the tribe of the Ubii
Ubii
thumb|right|350px|The Ubii around AD 30The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river...
entered into an agreement with the Roman forces and settled on the left bank of the Rhine. Their headquarters was Oppidum Ubiorum — the settlement of the Ubii, and at the same time an important Roman military base. In 50 AD, Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, wife of the Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, who was born in Cologne, asked for her home village to be elevated to the status of a colonia
Colonia (Roman)
A Roman colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city.-History:...
— a city under Roman law. It was called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis (a "colony of Claudius and the altar of Agrippina"), or Colonia Agrippina, "the Colony of Agrippina". In 80 AD water supply was built, the Eifel Aqueduct
Eifel Aqueduct
The Eifel Aqueduct was one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire.The aqueduct, constructed in AD 80, carried water some from the hilly Eifel region of what is now Germany to the ancient city of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium . If the auxiliary spurs to additional springs are included,...
, one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire, which delivered 20,000 cubic metres of water to the city every day. Ten years later, the colonia became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Germany Germania Inferior
Germania
Germania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
with a total population of 45,000 people.
In 260 AD Postumus
Postumus
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so-called Gallic Empire...
made Cologne the capital of the Gallic Empire
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
which included the German and Gallic provinces, Britannia and the provinces of Hispania. The Gallic Empire lasted only fourteen years.
By the 3rd century, only 20,000 people lived in and around the town. In 310 AD, Emperor Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
had a bridge over the Rhine constructed; this was guarded by the castellum Divitia (nowadays "Deutz").
In 321 AD Jews are documented in Cologne. When exactly the first Jews arrived in the Rhineland area cannot be established, though the Cologne community claims to be the oldest north of the Alps.
Frank, Merovingian, and Carolingian periods
In 260260
Year 260 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Saecularis and Donatus...
AD Postumus
Postumus
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so-called Gallic Empire...
made Cologne the capital of the Gallic Empire
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....
which included the German and Gallic provinces, Britannia and the provinces of Hispania. The Gallic Empire lasted only fourteen years. By the 3rd century, only 20,000 people lived in and around the town. In 310
310
Year 310 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Andronicus and Probus...
AD, Emperor Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
had a bridge over the Rhine constructed; this was guarded by the castellum Divitia (nowadays "Deutz"). In 321 AD Jews are documented in Cologne. When exactly the first Jews arrived in the Rhineland area can not be established anymore and the Cologne community claims to be the oldest north of the Alps.
Colonia was pillaged several times by the Franks in the 4th century and the city finally fell to the Ripuarian Franks
Ripuarian Franks
Ripuarian Franks is a distinction of the Frankish people made by a number of writers in the Latin language of the first several centuries of the Christian Era...
in 459 AD. Two lavish burial sites located near the Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
date from this time of late antiquity.
In 355 AD, the Alemanni tribes besieged the town for 10 months. At the time, the garrison of Colonia Agrippina was under the generalship of Marcus Vitellus. The city was captured after the months of siege and was reestablished as a Roman colonia several months afterwards by the soon-to-be Roman Emperor Julian
Julian
Julian is a common male given name in Britain, United States, Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France , Spain, Latin America and elsewhere....
. In 455, the Salian Franks
Salian Franks
The Salian Franks or Salii were a subgroup of the early Franks who originally had been living north of the limes in the area above the Rhine. The Merovingian kings responsible for the conquest of Gaul were Salians. From the 3rd century on, the Salian Franks appear in the historical records as...
finally captured Cologne and made it their capital city. In 795 the chaplain to Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, Hildebold was elevated to Archbishop of Cologne, a newly created archbishopric.
Prince-Bishops of Cologne
Cologne's first Christian bishop was MaternusMaternus
Maternus, also known as Maternus II or St. Maternus, was the first known bishop of Cologne, Germany, c. 285-315. He founded a church on the site of a Roman temple which later became Cologne Cathedral.-Legend:...
. He was responsible for the construction of the first cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, a square building erected early in the 4th century. In 794, Hildebald (or Hildebold) was the first Bishop of Cologne to be elevated to Archbishop of Cologne. Bruno I
Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne
Bruno the Great was Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, from 953 until his death, and Duke of Lotharingia from 954. He was the brother of Otto I, king of Germany and later Holy Roman Emperor....
(925-965), younger brother of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
, founded several monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
here. Subsequent Archbishops of Cologne became very influential as advisers to the Saxon, Salian and Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
dynasties. From 1031, they also held the office of Arch-Chancellor of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Between 1159 and 1167, Rainald of Dassel
Rainald of Dassel
Rainald of Dassel was archbishop of Cologne from 1159 to 1167 and archchancellor of Italy. He was preceded as archbishop by Friedrich II of Berg and succeeded by Philip I von Heinsberg....
was Archbishop of Cologne, as well as being Imperial Chancellor and adviser to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
In 1074 the commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
was formed. By the 13th century, the relationship between the city of Cologne and its archbishop had become difficult, and after the Battle of Worringen
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on June 5, 1288, near the town of Worringen , which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne...
in 1288, the forces of Brabant and the citizenry of Cologne captured the Archbishop Siegfried of Westerburg (1274–97), resulting in an almost complete freedom for the city; to regain his liberty, the archbishop recognized the political independence of Cologne, but reserved certain rights, notably the administration of justice.
Cologne effectively became a free city
Free city
Free city may refer to:* City-state, region controlled exclusively by a sovereign city* Free city a self-governed city during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial eras* Free City , album by the St...
after 1288; this status was formally confirmed in 1475. The Archbishopric of Cologne was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, but Cologne was independent so the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and later in Brühl
Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia
Brühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:...
until they returned in 1821. The ruling archbishops came from the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
dynasty . As powerful electors
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
, the archbishops repeatedly challenged the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th century, resulting in complicated legal affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means, usually to the advantage of the city.
Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
, under the leadership of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
. It was a business alliance of trading cities and their guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe and flourished from the 1200 to 1500, and continued with lesser importance after that. The chief cities were Cologne on the Rhine River, Hamburg
History of Hamburg
The history the Hamburg begins with its foundation in the 9th century as a mission settlement to convert the Saxons. Since the Middle Ages Hamburg was an important trading centre in Europe...
and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on the North Sea, and Lübeck on the Baltic. Cologne was a leading member of the "Hanse
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
" (Hanseatic League), especially through trading with England. The Hanse gave merchants special privileges in member cities, which dominated trade in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Cologne's hinterland in Germany gave it an added advantage over the other Hanseatic cities, and it became the largest city in Germany and the region. Thus Cologne's central location on the Rhine river placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west and was the basis of Cologne's growth. The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were based on the city's major harbor, its location as a transport hub and its entrepreneurial merchants who built ties with merchants in other Hanseatic cities.
The city was proud to build and maintain the great Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, with sacred relics that made it the destination for many worshippers. With the bishop not resident in the city, it was ruled by patricians (merchants carrying on long-distance trade). The craftsmen formed guilds, governed by strict rules, which sought to obtain control of the towns; a few were open to women. Society was divided into sharply demarcated classes: the clergy, physicians, merchants, various guilds of artisans; full citizenship was not available to paupers. Political tensions arose from issues of taxation, public spending, regulation of business, and market supervision, as well as the limits of corporate autonomy.
French Occupation
The French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
resulted in the occupation of Cologne and the Rhineland in 1794. In the following years the French consolidated their presence. In 1798 Cologne became an arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
in the newly created Département de la Roer. In the same year the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
was closed. In 1801 all citizen of Cologne were granted the French citizenship. In 1804 Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
visited the city together with his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
. The French occupation of Cologne ended in 1814.
Prussian period
In 1814, Cologne was occupied by PrussianKingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n troops. In 1815, Cologne and the Rhineland were allocated to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
Weimar Republic
From the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
until 1926 Cologne was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
under the terms of the armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty.
Contrary to the harsh measures taken by French occupation troops, the British acted with more tact towards the local population. Mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and future West German chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially that the British opposed French plans for a permanent Allied occupation of the Rhineland.
As part of the de-militarization of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
the fortifications had to be dismantled. This was taken as an opportunity to create two green belts (Grüngürtel) around the city by converting the fortifications and their clear fields for fire into large public parks. However this project was not completed until 1933.
In 1919 the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
, closed by the French in 1798, was founded anew. This re-foundation was considered a substitute for the German University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
that became part of France just as the rest of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and progress was made especially in respect to public governance, city planning and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and copied by other German cities.
As Cologne competed for hosting the Olympics a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. Beginning of the 1920s civil aviation was readmitted and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport
Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport
The Butzweilerhof is the former civil airport of Cologne. It was established as a training airfield in 1912 and saw airline service from 1922 until the 1950s. It was replaced by the Cologne Bonn Airport...
soon became a hub for national and international air traffic. Second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Tempelhof International Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport was an airport in Berlin, Germany, situated in the south-central borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. The airport ceased operating in 2008 in the process of establishing Schönefeld as the sole commercial airport for Berlin....
.
Third Reich
At the beginning of the Third Reich, Cologne was seen as a difficult territory by the Nazis because of deep-rooted communist and Catholic influences on the city. The Nazis were always struggling for control of the city.Local elections on 13 March 1933 resulted in the NSDAP winning 39.6 % of all votes, however the catholic Zentrum Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
came in second with 28.3 %, followed by the social-democratic SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
with 13.2% and the communist KPD
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
with 11.1 %. One day later, on 14 March, Nazi followers occupied the city hall and took over government. Communist and Social Democratic members of the city assembly were imprisoned and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed by the new powerholders.
It was planned to rebuild a large part of the inner city, with a main road connecting the Deutz station and the main station, which was to be moved from next to the cathedral to an area adjacent to today's university campus, with a huge field for rallies, the Maifeld, next to the main station. The Maifeld, between the campus and the Aachener Weiher artificial lake, was the only part of this over-ambitious plan to be realized before the start of the war. After the war, the remains of the Maifeld were buried with rubble from bombed buildings and turned into a park with rolling hills, which was christened Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
-Nagasaki-Park in August, 2004, as a memorial to the victims of the nuclear bombs of 1945. An inconspicuous memorial to the victims of the Nazi regime is situated on one of the hills.
On the night of 30/31 May 1942 Cologne was the target for the first 1,000 bomber raid
Bombing of Cologne in World War II
The City of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II, including 31 times by the Royal Air Force . Air raid alarms went off in the winter/spring of 1940 as enemy bombers passed overhead. However, the first actual bombing took place on 12 May 1940...
of the war. The number of persons reported killed was between 469 and 486, around 90 % of them civilians. More than 5,000 people were injured and more than 45,000 lost their homes. It was estimated that up to 150,000 of Cologne's population of around 700,000 left the city after the raid. The Royal Air Force (RAF)
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
lost 43 aircraft out of the 1,103 bombers sent. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 90% of Cologne's buildings were destroyed by Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
aerial bombing
Aerial bombing of cities
A species of strategic bombing, the aerial bombing of cities began in 1915 during World War I, grew to a vast scale in World War II, and continues to the present day. The development of aerial bombardment marked an increased capacity of armed forces to deliver explosive weapons in populated areas...
raids, most of them flown by the RAF.
On 10 November 1944 a dozen members of the anti-Nazi Ehrenfeld Group
Ehrenfeld Group
The Ehrenfeld Group , was an anti-Nazi resistance group, active in the summer and autumn of 1944....
were hanged in public. Six of them were 16-year-old boys of the Edelweiss Pirates
Edelweiss Pirates
The Edelweiss Pirates were a loose group of youth culture in Nazi Germany. They emerged in western Germany out of the German Youth Movement of the late 1930s in response to the strict regimentation of the Hitler Youth...
youth gang, including Barthel Schink
Barthel Schink
Bartholomäus Schink was a member of the Edelweiss Pirates, active in the Ehrenfeld Group in Cologne, which resisted the Nazi regime. He was among the 12 members of that group who were publicly hanged in Cologne by the Gestapo on 10 November 1944...
; Fritz Theilen
Fritz Theilen
Fritz Theilen, born September 27, 1927, was a German member of the anti-Nazi resistance group the Edelweißpiraten during World War II. Born to working-class parents, he joined the Deutsches Jungvolk division of the Hitler Youth in 1937, and was excluded for resisting orders in 1940. He started an...
survived.
Bookseller Gerhard Ludwig
Gerhard Ludwig
Gerhard Ludwig was a German bookseller.Born into a very poor working class family in Berlin, his mother worked in an ammunitions factory, and his father was a beer deliverer and an alcoholic. During the Third Reich he worked for the Frankfurter Zeitung, a newspaper which sheltered non-conformist...
, who worked for the influential publisher Neven du Mont in 1941, was dismissed immediately when he got into trouble with the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
for political reasons. Upon his return to Cologne after his release from Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
in 1946, editor Neven du Mont spotted him and complained about the release of prisoners from the camps - he still saw them as "criminals".
The outskirts of Cologne were reached by US-troops on 4 March 1945. The inner city at the left bank of the Rhine was captured on 6 March 1945 in half a day, meeting minor resistance only. Because the Hohenzollernbrücke
Hohenzollernbrücke
The Hohenzollern Bridge is a bridge crossing the river Rhine in the German city of Cologne. It crosses the Rhine at kilometre 688.5. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and street bridge, however, after its destruction in 1945 and its subsequent reconstruction, it was only accessible to rail...
was destroyed on retreat by German pioneers, the boroughs at the right bank of the river remained under German control until mid of April 1945.
Jews in Cologne
As early as 321 AD, an edict by the Emperor Constantine allowed JewsJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
to be elected to the City Council
Cologne City Hall
The City Hall is a historical building in Cologne, western Germany, located off Hohe Straße in the district of Innenstadt, set between the two squares of Rathausplatz and Alter Markt. It houses part of the city government, including the city council and offices of the Lord Mayor. It is...
. The first pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
against the Jews was in 1349, when they were used as scapegoats for the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, and therefore burnt in an auto de fe. In 1424 they were evicted from the city, but were allowed back again in 1798.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Jewish population of Cologne was about 20,000. By 1939, 40% of the city's Jews had emigrated. The vast majority of those who remained had been deported to concentration camps by 1941. The trade fair grounds next to the Deutz train station were used to herd together the Jewish population for deportation to the death camps and for disposal of their household goods by public sale.
On Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
in 1938, Cologne's synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s were violated or set on fire.
Postwar Cologne
Despite Cologne being the largest city in the region nearby, DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
was chosen as the political capital of the newly set-up Federal State
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. With Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
being chosen as the (provisional) capital of the Federal Republic, Cologne took benefit being sandwiched between the two important political centers of former West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The city became home to a large number of Federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990 a new situation has been politically co-ordinated with the new federal capital city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz may refer to:* Rudolf Schwarz , German architect* Rudolf Schwarz , Austrian-born British conductor...
called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of debris". Schwarz designed the masterplan of reconstruction in 1947, which called for the construction of several new thoroughfares through the downtown area, especially the 'Nord-Süd-Fahrt' (North-South-Drive). The Masterplan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after the war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already to a certain degree evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier in times when the majority of downtown lots were undeveloped. The destruction of famous Twelve Romanesque churches
Twelve romanesque churches of Cologne
The twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne are twelve landmark churches in the Old town of Cologne, Germany. All twelve churches are Roman Catholic.- Churches :The twelve churches are1:* St. Andreas in Altstadt-Nord, est. 974...
like St. Gereon's Basilica
St. Gereon's Basilica
St. Gereon's Basilica is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to Saint Gereon, and designated a minor basilica on June 25, 1920. The first mention of a church at the site, dedicated to St. Gereon, appears in 612...
, Great St. Martin
Great St. Martin Church
The Great Saint Martin Church is a Romanesque Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. Its foundations rest on remnants of a Roman chapel, built on what was then an island in the Rhine. The church was later transformed into a Benedictine monastery...
, St. Maria im Capitol and about a dozen others in World War II meant a tremendous loss of cultural substance to the city. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks like the Gürzenich was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when Romanesque church of St. Kunibert
St. Kunibert (Cologne)
St. Kunibert is the youngest of the Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne and was consecrated 1247, one year before work on the Gothic Cologne Cathedral began.- History :...
was finished.
It took some time to rebuild the city. In 1959 the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. Afterwards the city grew steadily, and, in 1975, the number exceeded 1 million inhabitants for about one year. Since then, the number has lingered just below this point.
In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered from two factors: First, the steady growth in the number of media companies, pertaining to both the private and the public sector. Catering especially to these companies is the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strongly visual focal point in downtown Cologne and includes the KölnTurm, one of Cologne's most prominent highrises. And second, a permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which makes Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe.
Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair
Cologne Trade Fair
Koelnmesse is the name of the international trade fair and exhibition center located in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany...
, the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s are rented out to RTL
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
, Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarter.
A controversy started after Muslims in Cologne sought to build a mosque.
Most important for the history of Cologne since the Middle Ages is the City Archive Cologne
Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln
The Historical Archive of the City of Cologne is the municipal archive of Cologne, Germany. It ranks among the largest communal archives in Europe....
, which has been the largest in Germany. Its building collapsed during the construction of an extension to the underground railway system on 3 March 2009 .