Editing Cologne (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Cologne|Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium|Colonial history of the city of Cologne}}
{{for timeline|Timeline of Cologne}}

===Roman Cologne===
[[File:Wall painting with Dionysian scenes from a luxurious Roman villa excavated to the south of the cathedral, Romisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne (8119154487).jpg|thumb|Fresco with [[Dionysian Mysteries|Dionysian scenes]] from a Roman villa of Cologne, Germany (site of the ancient city Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium), 3rd century CE, [[Romano-Germanic Museum]]]]

The first urban settlement on the grounds of modern-day Cologne was ''Oppidum Ubiorum'', founded in 38&nbsp;BCE by the [[Ubii]], a [[Germani cisrhenani|Cisrhenian]] [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]]. In 50&nbsp;CE, the Romans founded [[Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium]] (Cologne) on the river Rhine,<ref name="Cologne History"/><ref name="Facts and figures"/> a [[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]] which was named after Emperor [[Claudius]] and his wife, who was born here, [[Agrippina the Younger]]. In 85&nbsp;CE the city became the provincial capital of [[Germania Inferior]].<ref name="Facts and figures">{{cite web|title=Facts and figures|url=https://www.cologne.de/facts-and-figures.html|publisher=City of Cologne|access-date=3 May 2019|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503194348/https://www.cologne.de/facts-and-figures.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also known as {{lang|la|Augusta Ubiorum}}.<ref>{{cite book |first=Benjamin E. |last=Smith |contribution=Augusta Ubiorum |title=The Century Cyclopedia of Names |location=New York |publisher=Century Co. |year=1895 |volume=1 |edition=2nd |oclc=237135281 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RXZFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA96 |page=96 }}</ref> Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near the wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18208 |title=C.Michael Hogan, ''Cologne Wharf'', The Megalithic Portal, editor Andy Burnham, 2007 |publisher=Megalithic.co.uk |access-date=24 July 2009 |archive-date=21 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921060011/http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18208 |url-status=live }}</ref> From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of the [[Gallic Empire]] under [[Postumus]], [[Marcus Aurelius Marius|Marius]], and [[Victorinus]]. In 310, under emperor [[Constantine I (emperor)|Constantine I]], a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centers in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.<ref name="Cologne History"/> Cologne is shown on the 4th century [[Peutinger Map]].

Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313, was the first known bishop of Cologne. The city was the capital of a Roman province until it was occupied by the [[Ripuarian Franks]] in 462. Parts of the original Roman sewers are preserved underneath the city, with the [[Cologne sewerage system|new sewerage system]] having opened in 1890.

After the destruction of the [[Second Temple]] in the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|Siege of Jerusalem]] and the associated [[Jewish diaspora|dispersion (diaspora) of the Jews]], there is evidence of a Jewish community in Cologne. In 321 CE, Emperor Constantine approved the settlement of a Jewish community with all the freedoms of Roman citizens. It is assumed that it was located near the Marspforte within the city wall. The Edict of Constantine to the Jews is the oldest documented evidence in Germany.<ref>Werner Eck: Köln in römischer Zeit. Geschichte einer Stadt im Rahmen des Imperium Romanum. (= Geschichte der Stadt Köln in 13 Bänden, Bd. 1) Köln 2004, p. 325 ff. {{ISBN|3-7743-0357-6}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=German Jewish culture through the ages – DW – 02/19/2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/celebrating-1700-years-of-jewish-life-in-germany/a-56131698 |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
Early medieval Cologne was part of [[Austrasia]] within the [[Frankish Empire]]. Cunibert, made bishop of Cologne in 623, was an important advisor to the Merovingian King Dagobert I and served with domesticus Pepin of Landen as tutor to the king's son and heir Siegebert III, the future king of Austrasia. In 716, [[Charles Martel]] commanded an army for the first time and suffered the only defeat of his life when [[Chilperic II]], King of [[Neustria]], invaded Austrasia and the city fell to him in the [[Battle of Cologne]]. Charles fled to the [[Eifel]] mountains, rallied supporters and took the city back that same year after defeating Chilperic in the [[Battle of Amblève]]. Cologne had been the seat of a bishop since the Roman period; under [[Charlemagne]], in 795, bishop [[Hildebold of Cologne|Hildebold]] was promoted to [[archbishop]].<ref name="Cologne History"/> In the 843 [[Treaty of Verdun]] Cologne fell into the dominion of [[Lothair I]]'s [[Middle Francia]] – later called [[Lotharingia]] ([[Lower Lorraine]]).

In 953, the archbishops of Cologne first gained noteworthy secular power when bishop [[Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne|Bruno]] was appointed as duke by his brother [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]], [[Kingdom of Germany|King of Germany]].<ref name="Morley-1856">{{Cite book |last=Morley |first=Henry |url=http://archive.org/details/corneliusagripp03morlgoog |title=Cornelius Agrippa: The Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa Von Nettesheim |date=1856 |publisher=Chapman and Hall |others=New York Public Library |pages=4–6 |language=English |chapter=Born in Cologne}}</ref> In order to weaken the secular nobility, who threatened his power, Otto endowed Bruno and his archiepiscopal successors with the prerogatives of secular princes, thus establishing the [[Electorate of Cologne]], formed by the temporal possessions of the archbishopric and included in the end a strip of territory along the left Bank of the Rhine east of [[Jülich]], as well as the [[Duchy of Westphalia]] on the other side of the Rhine, beyond [[Berg (state)|Berg]] and [[County of Mark|Mark]]. By the end of the 12th century, the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. Besides being prince elector, he was [[Archchancellor]] of Italy as well, technically from 1238 and permanently from 1263 until 1803.

Following the [[Battle of Worringen]] in 1288, Cologne gained its independence from the archbishops and became a [[Free Imperial City|Free City]]. Archbishop [[Sigfried II von Westerburg]] was forced to reside in [[Bonn]].<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia">Harry de Quetteville. "[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04116a.htm History of Cologne] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805024052/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04116a.htm |date=5 August 2011 }}". ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', 28 November 2009.</ref> The archbishop nevertheless preserved the right of capital punishment. Thus the municipal council (though in strict political opposition towards the archbishop) depended upon him in all matters concerning criminal justice. This included torture, the sentence for which was only allowed to be handed down by the episcopal judge known as the greve. This legal situation lasted until the French conquest of Cologne.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's archbishop, [[Rainald of Dassel]], gave the relics of the [[Three Wise Men]] to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they had been taken from [[Milan]]). Besides the three magi Cologne preserves the relics of [[Saint Ursula]] and [[Albertus Magnus]].<ref>Joseph P. Huffman, ''Family, Commerce, and Religion in London and Cologne'' (1998) covers from 1000 to 1300.</ref>

Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major [[trade route]]s between east and west as well as the main south–north Western Europe trade route, Venice to Netherlands; even by the mid-10th century, merchants in the town were already known for their prosperity and luxurious standard of living due to the availability of trade opportunities.<ref name="Morley-1856" /> The intersection of these trade routes was the basis of Cologne's growth. By the end of the 12th century, Archbishop [[Phillip von Heinsberg]] enclosed the entire city with [[Defensive wall|walls]].<ref name="Morley-1856" /> By 1300 the city population was 50,000–55,000.<ref>''The Population of European Cities'', Bairoch</ref> Cologne was a member of the [[Hanseatic League]] in 1475, when [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]] confirmed the city's imperial immediacy.<ref name="Cologne History"/> Cologne was so influential in regional commerce that its systems of weights and measurements (e.g. the [[Cologne mark]]) were used throughout Europe.<ref name="Morley-1856" />

[[File:Cologn1411.jpg|thumb|upright=2.5|center|Cologne {{Circa|1411|lk=no}}]]

===Early modern history===
[[File:Panorama Köln.jpg|thumb|Panorama of Cologne in 1531]]
[[File:Dankaerts-Historis-9364.tif|thumb|Attack on [[Deutz, Cologne|Deutz]] by the [[Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War|Swedish army]] during the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1632]]
[[File:Rekonstruktion der Stadt Köln im 17. Jahrhundert.webm|thumb|Reconstruction of Cologne in the 17th century (German, English subtitles available)]]
The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterised by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women.

As a [[free imperial city]], Cologne was a self-ruling state within the [[Holy Roman Empire]], an [[imperial estate]] with seat and vote at the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]], and as such had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defense of the Empire and maintain its own military force. As they wore a red uniform, these troops were known as the ''Rote Funken'' (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent"). They fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France in which the small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the ''Rote Funken''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rote-funken.de/ |title=Rote Funken – Kölsche Funke rut-wieß vun 1823 e.V. – Rote Funken Koeln |publisher=Rote-funken.de |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=12 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412051505/http://www.rote-funken.de/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the [[Electorate of Cologne]], which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the majority of archbishops were drawn from the Bavarian [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach dynasty]]. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in [[Bonn]] and later in [[Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia|Brühl]] on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status as [[Prince-elector|electors]], the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire.

===From the 19th century until World War I===

[[File:Hängebrücke - Köln (1).tif|thumb|Deutzer Suspension bridge]]
Cologne lost its status as a [[Free Imperial City|free city]] during the French period. According to the [[Treaty of Lunéville]] (1801) all the territories of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] (which had already occupied Cologne in 1794). Thus this region later became part of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]'s Empire. Cologne was part of the French [[Department (administrative division)|Département]] [[Roer (department)|Roer]] (named after the river [[Roer]], German: Rur) with [[Aachen]] (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernised public life, for example by introducing the [[Napoleonic code]] and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic code remained in use on the left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (the ''[[Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch]]'') was introduced in the [[German Empire]]. In 1815 at the [[Congress of Vienna]], Cologne was made part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], first in the [[Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] and then the [[Rhine Province]].

The permanent tensions between the Catholic [[Rhineland]] and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in the focus of the conflict. In 1837 the archbishop of Cologne, [[Clemens August von Droste-Vischering]], was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Catholics and Protestants (''Mischehenstreit''). In 1874, during the [[Kulturkampf]], Archbishop [[Paul Melchers]] was imprisoned before taking asylum in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to a deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne, [[Konrad Adenauer]], became the first West German chancellor.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War&nbsp;I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialisation changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing was especially successful, though the heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in the [[Ruhr area]]. The [[Cologne Cathedral|cathedral]], started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly founded [[German empire]] and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at the expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by contemporary buildings.

Cologne was designated as one of the [[Fortresses of the German Confederation]].<ref name=USM>[https://books.google.com/books?id=B77POH6Wgk4C&dq=%22Federal+Fortress+on+the+Upper+Rhine%22&pg=PA254 United Services Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503065948/https://books.google.com/books?id=B77POH6Wgk4C&dq=%22Federal+Fortress+on+the+Upper+Rhine%22&pg=PA254 |date=3 May 2023 }}, December 1835</ref> It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of [[Verdun]] and [[Liège]]) with two fortified belts surrounding the city, the remains of which can be seen to this day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.altearmee.de/zwischenwerk/index.htm |title=Festung Köln |access-date=1 April 2011 |archive-date=11 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811112103/http://www.altearmee.de/zwischenwerk/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers, and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very densely built-up area within the city itself.

During [[World War&nbsp;I]] Cologne was the target of several minor air raids but suffered no significant damage. Cologne was occupied by the [[British Army of the Rhine]] until 1926, under the terms of the Armistice and the subsequent [[Peace Treaty of Versailles|Versailles Peace Treaty]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080524105305/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,721598,00.html Cologne Evacuated], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 15 February 1926</ref> In contrast with the harsh behaviour of the French occupation troops in Germany, the British forces were more lenient to the local population. [[Konrad Adenauer]], the mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and later a West German chancellor, acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially since Britain had opposed French demands for a permanent Allied occupation of the entire Rhineland.

As part of the demilitarisation of the [[Rhineland]], the city's fortifications had to be dismantled. This was an opportunity to create two green belts (''Grüngürtel'') around the city by converting the fortifications and their fields of fire into large public parks. This was not completed until 1933. In 1919 the [[University of Cologne]], closed by the French in 1798, was reopened. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of the [[University of Strasbourg]] on the west bank of the Rhine, which reverted to France with the rest of [[Alsace]]. Cologne prospered during the [[Weimar Republic]] (1919–33), and progress was made especially in public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and were copied by other German cities. Cologne competed to host the Olympics, and a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, the prohibition of civil aviation was lifted and [[Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport]] soon became a hub for national and international air traffic, second in Germany only to [[Tempelhof International Airport|Berlin Tempelhof Airport]].

The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to the [[Nazi Party]] and other extreme-right parties. The Nazis then arrested the [[KPD|Communist]] and [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrats]] members of the city assembly, and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed. Compared to some other major cities, however, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne. (Significantly, the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party in [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] elections had always been the national average.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weimarer-wahlen.de/de/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211085633/http://weimarer-wahlen.de/de/index.html |archive-date=11 February 2008 |title=Weimarer Wahlen |date=11 February 2008 |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wahlen-in-deutschland.de/wrtwkoelnaachen.htm |title=Voting results 1919–1933 Cologne-Aachen |publisher=Wahlen-in-deutschland.de |access-date=8 August 2010 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719113427/http://www.wahlen-in-deutschland.de/wrtwkoelnaachen.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1939, the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln - During the war |url=https://museenkoeln.de/NS-DOKUMENTAtionszentrum/default.aspx?s=784#:~:text=At%20a%20census%20in%20March,people%20were%20registered%20in%20Cologne. |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=museenkoeln.de |publisher=NS-Documentation Center of the City of Cologne}}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Koeln 1945.jpg|thumb|The devastation of Cologne, 1945]]
During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters ({{lang|de|Militärbereichshauptkommandoquartier}}) for [[Wehrkreis VI]] (headquartered at [[Münster]]). Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations in [[Bonn]], [[Siegburg]], [[Aachen]], [[Jülich]], [[Düren]], and [[Monschau]]. Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment.

The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on the city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built up area. During the [[Bombing of Cologne in World War II]], Cologne endured 262 air raids<ref>{{cite web |author=koelnarchitektur |url=http://www.koelnarchitektur.de/pages/de/home/news_archiv/823.htm |title=on the reconstruction of Cologne |publisher=Koelnarchitektur.de |date=15 July 2003 |access-date=24 July 2009 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201103749/http://www.koelnarchitektur.de/pages/de/home/news_archiv/823.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> by the Western [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "[[Operation Millennium]]", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the [[Royal Air Force]] in World War&nbsp;II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary.<ref>Tourtellot, Arthur B. et al. ''Life's Picture History of World War&nbsp;II'', p. 237. ''Time'', Inc., New York, 1950.</ref> This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed {{convert|600|acre|ha|0}} of built-up area (61%),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/worldwar2/theatres-of-war/western-europe/investigation/hamburg/sources/docs/6/|title=The National Archives &#124; World War II &#124; Western Europe 1939–1945: Hamburg &#124; Why did the RAF bomb cities?|first=The National|last=Archives|website=www.nationalarchives.gov.uk|access-date=28 January 2021|archive-date=7 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207102245/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/worldwar2/theatres-of-war/western-europe/investigation/hamburg/sources/docs/6/|url-status=live}}</ref> killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. The devastation was recorded by [[Hermann Claasen]] from 1942 until the end of the war, and presented in his exhibition and book of 1947 ''Singing in the furnace. Cologne – Remains of an old city''.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Claasen, Hermann | author2=Hoyer, Franz A | title=Gesang im feuerofen : Köln; überreste einer alten deutschen stadt | date=1949 | publisher=L. Schwann | edition=[2. aufl.] | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/14736437 | access-date=6 September 2018 | archive-date=28 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728173754/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/14736437 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Cologne was taken by the American [[First United States Army#World War II|First Army]] in early March 1945 during the [[Western Allied invasion of Germany|Invasion of Germany]] after a [[Battle of Cologne (1945)|battle]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gYDN-UfehEEC&pg=PA1644|title=World War Two in Europe|last=Zabecki|first=David T.|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-8240-7029-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Knight-2015">{{cite web |title=Cologne Cathedral is perhaps the single most famous tank duel? |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/cologne-cathedral-tank-duel.html |first=Jack |last=Knight |publisher=War History Online |date=21 August 2015 |access-date=15 October 2019 |archive-date=15 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015034716/https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/cologne-cathedral-tank-duel.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. By the end of 1945, however, the population had already recovered to approximately 450,000.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Cologne-Germany |title=Cologne – History |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=9 June 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624090051/https://www.britannica.com/place/Cologne-Germany |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of the war, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis.<ref>Kirsten Serup-Bilfeld, Zwischen Dom und Davidstern. Jüdisches Leben in Köln von den Anfängen bis heute. Köln 2001, page 193</ref> The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. The [[Roonstrasse Synagogue|synagogue on Roonstraße]] was rebuilt in 1959.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sgk.de/index.php/historie.html |title=Synagogen-Gemeinde Köln |publisher=Sgk.de |date=26 June 1931 |access-date=8 August 2010 |archive-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629113231/http://www.sgk.de/index.php/historie.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Post-war and Cold War eras===
[[File:Cologne by Sentinel-2, 2020-05-07.jpg|thumb|Cologne, seen from ESA Sentinel-2]]
Despite Cologne's status as the largest city in the region, nearby [[Düsseldorf]] was chosen as the political capital of the [[States of Germany|federated state]] of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]. With [[Bonn]] being chosen as the provisional federal capital (''provisorische Bundeshauptstadt'') and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (then informally [[West Germany]]), Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between two important political centres. The city became–and still is–home to a number of federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990, Berlin was made the capital of Germany.

In 1945 architect and urban planner [[Rudolf Schwarz (architect)|Rudolf Schwarz]] called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble". Schwarz designed the master plan for reconstruction in 1947, which included the construction of several new thoroughfares through the city centre, especially the ''Nord-Süd-Fahrt'' ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan 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 when most of the city centre was in ruins.

The destruction of 95% of the city centre, including the famous [[Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne|Twelve Romanesque churches]] such as [[St. Gereon's Basilica|St.&nbsp;Gereon]], [[Great St. Martin Church|Great St.&nbsp;Martin]], [[St.&nbsp;Maria im Kapitol]] and several other monuments in World War&nbsp;II, meant a tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks such as the Gürzenich event hall 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 the Romanesque church of [[St. Kunibert (Cologne)|St.&nbsp;Kunibert]] was finished.

In 1959, the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1&nbsp;million for about one year from 1975. It remained just below that until mid-2010, when it exceeded 1&nbsp;million again.
[[File:2013-08-10 07-18-55 Ballonfahrt über Köln EH 0626.jpg|thumb|left|Cologne in 2013]]

===Post-reunification===
[[File:1983 09 15 to 23 Envelope of the Letter from Odessa to Cuba.jpg|thumb|Soviet letter's envelope in honor of the Internationale Philatelic Exhibition ''LUPOSTA'' in Cologne in 1983]]
In the 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. The first was the growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strong visual focal point in Cologne's city centre and includes the ''KölnTurm'', one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. The second was the permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which made 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, were rented out to [[Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland|RTL]], Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters.

Cologne was the focus of the [[2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany]], with over 500 women reporting that they were sexually assaulted by persons of African and Arab appearance.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/06/tensions-rise-in-germany-over-handling-of-mass-sexual-assaults-in-cologne|title=Tensions rise in Germany over handling of mass sexual assaults in Cologne|last=Connolly|first=Kate|newspaper=The Guardian|date=7 January 2016|access-date=12 January 2016|archive-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112044027/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/06/tensions-rise-in-germany-over-handling-of-mass-sexual-assaults-in-cologne|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung-2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.derwesten.de/politik/1075-anzeigen-nach-koelner-silvesternacht-73-verdaechtige-id11567004.html|title=1075 Anzeigen nach Kölner Silvesternacht – 73 Verdächtige|trans-title=1,075 assaults by Cologne New Year's Eve – 73 suspects|work=[[Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung]]|date=15 February 2016|language=de|access-date=15 February 2016|archive-date=16 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216101356/http://www.derwesten.de/politik/1075-anzeigen-nach-koelner-silvesternacht-73-verdaechtige-id11567004.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>