Editing Cologne (section)

==Tourism==
Cologne had 5.8&nbsp;million overnight stays booked and 3.35&nbsp;million arrivals in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cologne-tourism.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release/article/tourism-results-for-2016-moderate-decrease-in-visitor-numbers-due-to-difficult-general-conditions.html |title=Tourism results for 2016: Moderate decrease in visitor numbers due to difficult general conditions |publisher=KölnTourismus |date=21 February 2017 |access-date=13 September 2017 |archive-date=13 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913190906/https://www.cologne-tourism.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release/article/tourism-results-for-2016-moderate-decrease-in-visitor-numbers-due-to-difficult-general-conditions.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Köln Cathedral on the banks of Rhine 01.jpg|thumb|Köln Cathedral on the banks of Rhine]]

===Landmarks===

====Churches====
* [[Cologne Cathedral]] (German: ''Kölner Dom'') is the city's most famous monument and the Cologne residents' most loved landmark. It is a [[gothic architecture|Gothic]] church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. In 1996, it was designated a [[World Heritage Site]]; it houses the [[Shrine of the Three Kings]], which supposedly contains the [[relic]]s of the [[Biblical Magi|Three Magi]] (see also<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.koelner-dom.de/index.php?id=dreikoenigenschrein |title=Offizielle Webseite des Kölner Doms &#124; Bedeutende Werke |publisher=Koelner-dom.de |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703064357/http://www.koelner-dom.de/index.php?id=dreikoenigenschrein |archive-date=3 July 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>). Residents of Cologne sometimes refer to the cathedral as "the eternal construction site" (''die ewige Baustelle'').
* [[Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne|Twelve Romanesque churches]]: These buildings are outstanding examples of early medieval church architecture. The origins of some of these churches go back as far as [[Roman Empire|Roman times]], for example [[St. Gereon's Basilica, Cologne|St. Gereon]], which was originally a huge mausoleum in a Roman graveyard, or [[St. Maria im Kapitol]], built on the substructure of a Roman temple. [[Great St. Martin Church]] stands on the site of Roman warehouses and previously a sports field with a swimming pool, the walls of which can be seen in the basement of the church. With the exception of St. Maria Lyskirchen all of these churches were very badly damaged during World War&nbsp;II. Reconstructions of the last ones were only finished in the 1990s.

<gallery heights="80" perrow="6">
Kdom.jpg|[[Cologne Cathedral]]
Cologne, Germany. Basilica of St. Gereon.jpg|[[St. Gereon's Basilica, Cologne|St. Gereon's Basilica]]
Köln st maria im kapitol dreikonchenanlage 251204.jpg|[[St. Maria im Kapitol]]
Köln - Groß St. Martin vom Dom.jpg|[[Great St. Martin Church]]
Severeinskirche aus Severinstorburg 2009.jpg|[[Basilica of St. Severin]]
Koeln mariae himmelfahrt 001.jpg|Church of the Assumption
Trinitatiskirche Koeln2007.jpg|Trinity Church
</gallery>

====Medieval houses====
The Cologne City Hall (''Kölner Rathaus''), founded in the 12th century, is the oldest [[city hall]] in Germany still in use.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cologne.strategicmanagement.net/tuesday.php |title=Strategic Management Society – Cologne Conference – Cologne Information |publisher=Cologne.strategicmanagement.net |date=14 October 2008 |access-date=26 July 2010 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724083513/http://cologne.strategicmanagement.net/tuesday.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Renaissance-style loggia and tower were added in the 15th century. Other famous buildings include the Gürzenich, Haus Saaleck and the Overstolzenhaus.
<gallery heights="80" perrow="6">
File:Keoln Maerz 2009 PD 20090327 028.JPG|[[Cologne City Hall]]
File:Köln gürzenich.jpg|Gürzenich
File:Overstolzenhaus-Rheingasse-Köln.JPG|Overstolzenhaus
</gallery>

====Medieval city gates====
[[File:A Plan of the City of Cologne, 1800, John Stockdale-9832.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0 | A plan published in 1800 shows the medieval city wall still intact, locating 16 gates (Nr. 36–51 in the legend), e.g., 47:&nbsp;Eigelsteintor, 43:&nbsp;Hahnentor, 39:&nbsp;Severinstor.]]
Of the twelve medieval [[city gate]]s that once existed, only the Eigelsteintorburg at Ebertplatz, the Hahnentor at Rudolfplatz and the Severinstorburg at Chlodwigplatz still stand today.
<gallery heights="80" perrow="6">
File:Köln eigelsteintorburg.jpg|Eigelsteintor
File:Hahnentorburg.jpg|Hahnentor
File:Severinstorburg Köln-0410.jpg|Severinstor
</gallery>
{{^|[[File:Dropped cone Cologne.jpg|thumb|208x208px]]}}

===Streets===
{{Main|Streets in Cologne}}
* The [[Cologne Ring]] boulevards (such as ''Hohenzollernring'', ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring'', ''Hansaring'') with their medieval city gates (such as ''Hahnentorburg'' on ''Rudolfplatz'') are also known for their night life.
* [[Hohe Straße]] (literally: ''High Street'') is one of the main shopping areas and extends past the cathedral in an approximately southerly direction. The street contains many gift shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants and electronic goods dealers.
* [[Schildergasse]] – connects ''Neumarkt'' square at its western end to the ''Hohe Strasse'' shopping street at its eastern end and has been named the busiest shopping street in Europe with 13,000 people passing through every hour, according to a 2008 study by [[GfK]].
* Ehrenstraße – the shopping area around ''Apostelnstrasse'', ''Ehrenstrasse'', and ''Rudolfplatz'' is a little more on the quirky and stylish side.

===Bridges===
[[File:Bridge in Cologne over the Rhine River.jpg|thumb|left |Bridge in Cologne over the Rhine River]] [[File:Rhine River at Cologne, Germany.jpg|thumb|right|Rhine River at Cologne]]
Several bridges cross the Rhine in Cologne. They are (from south to north): the [[Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge|Rodenkirchen Bridge]], [[South Bridge (Cologne)|South Bridge]] (railway), {{ill|Severin Bridge|de|Severinsbrücke}}, [[Deutz Bridge]], [[Hohenzollern Bridge]] (railway), {{ill|Zoo Bridge|de|Zoobrücke}} (''Zoobrücke'') and [[Cologne Mülheim Bridge|Mülheim Bridge]]. In particular the iron [[tied arch bridge|tied arch]] Hohenzollern Bridge (''Hohenzollernbrücke'') is a dominant landmark along the river embankment. A Rhine crossing of a special kind is provided by the [[Cologne Cable Car]] (German: ''Kölner Seilbahn''), a cableway that runs across the river between the [[Cologne Zoological Garden]] in Riehl and the [[Rheinpark]] in Deutz.

===High-rise structures===
Cologne's tallest structure is the [[Colonius]] telecommunication tower at {{convert|266|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}. The observation deck has been closed since 1992. A selection of the tallest buildings in Cologne is listed below. Other tall structures include the Hansahochhaus (designed by architect Jacob Koerfer and completed in 1925 – it was at one time Europe's tallest office building), the Kranhaus buildings at [[Rheinauhafen]], and the [[Messeturm Köln]] ("trade fair tower").

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; background:#fefef6; width:80%;"
|-
! Skyscraper
!class="unsortable"| Image
! Height in metres
! Floors
! Year
! Address
!class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| align=left| [[KölnTurm]]
| [[File:Koeln-Turm 001.jpg|60px]]
| 148.5
| 43
| 2001
| align=left| [[MediaPark]] 8, Neustadt-Nord
| align=left| (literally: ''Cologne Tower''), Cologne's second tallest building at {{convert|165.48|m|ft|2}} in height, second only to the Colonius telecommunication tower. The 30th floor of the building has a restaurant and a terrace with 360° views of the city.
|-
| align=left| [[Colonia-Hochhaus]]
| [[File:Colonia-Haus.jpg|60px]]
| 147
| 45
| 1973
| align=left| An der Schanz 2, [[Riehl, Cologne|Riehl]]
| align=left| [[List of tallest buildings in Germany|tallest building in Germany]] from 1973 to 1976. Today, it is still the country's second tallest residential building.
|-
| align=left|Rheintower
| [[File:Hochhaus Deutsche Welle Köln-3588.jpg|60px]]
| 138
| 34
| 1980
| align=left| Raderberggürtel, Marienburg
| align=left| former headquarters of [[Deutsche Welle]], since 2007 under renovation with the new name ''Rheintower Köln-Marienburg''.
|-
| align=left| Uni-Center<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unicenterkoeln.de/site/unser_haus/index.php |title=Homepage of the Uni-Center |publisher=Unicenterkoeln.de |access-date=8 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327143823/http://www.unicenterkoeln.de/site/unser_haus/index.php |archive-date=27 March 2010}}</ref>
| [[File:Uni-Center-Koeln.jpg|60px]]
| 133
| 45
| 1973
| align=left| Luxemburger Straße, [[Sülz]]
| align=left|
|-
| align=left| [[TÜV Rheinland]]
| [[File:TÜV Rheinland, Köln-Poll.jpg|60px]]
| 112
| 22
| 1974
| align=left| Am Grauen Stein, [[Poll, Cologne|Poll]]
| align=left|
|-
| align=left| [[Ringturm, Cologne|Ringturm]]
| [[File:Grünanlage Theodor-Heuss-Ring Köln mit Ringturm-8184.jpg|60px]]
| 109
| 26
| 1973
| align=left| [[Ebertplatz]], [[Neustadt-Nord, Cologne|Neustadt-Nord]]
| align=left|
|-
| align=left| [[Justizzentrum Köln]]
| [[File:Ballonfahrt über Köln - Justizzentrum-RS-4013.jpg|60px]]
| 105
| 25
| 1981
| align=left| Luxemburger Straße, [[Sülz]]
| align=left|
|-
| align=left| [[KölnTriangle]]
| [[File:KölnTriangle (0684).jpg|60px]]
| 103
| 29
| 2006
| align=left| Ottoplatz 1, [[Deutz, Cologne|Deutz]]
| align=left| opposite to the cathedral with a {{convert|103|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} high viewing platform and a view of the cathedral over the Rhine.
|-
| align=left| Herkules-Hochhaus
| [[File:Herkulesbuilding.jpg|60px]]
| 102
| 31
| 1969
| align=left| Graeffstraße 1, [[Ehrenfeld, Cologne|Ehrenfeld]]
| align=left|
|-
| align=left| Deutschlandfunk-Turm
| [[File:Dlf2.jpg|60px]]
| 102
| 19
| 1975
| align=left| Raderberggürtel, Marienburg
| align=left|
|}