About Cologne (Köln), Germany:
One of Germany’s oldest cities, Cologne (Köln) bears the imprint of its’ Catholic heritage. With around 250 churches, Cologne is thought to be the city with the highest density of churches north of the Alps. There are over 160 Catholic churches in the city (plus 81 Protestant churches, as well as other places of worship for various faiths).
Cologne was bombed 262 times during World War II, suffering around 20,000 civilian casualties and massive destruction, including the famous 1,000‑bomber raid of May 30-31 1942 known as Operation Millennium. The Cologne Cathedral endured 14 direct bomb hits, but its stone structure, lack of a wooden roof, and proximity to the train station (the main target) meant it was not a military objective. Several factors explain the cathedral’s survival, including the fact that it was built of sandstone with no wooden roof, making it less prone to fire.
Catholic churches & placed of interest in Cologne (Köln), Germany:
Church of the Immaculate Conception (Minoritenkirche): tombs of Bl. Duns Scotus and Bl. Adolph Kolping.
Church of Saint Andrew: Tomb of St. Albertus Magnus
Church of Saint Ursula: Tomb of Saint Ursula
Cologne Cathedral: magnificent Gothic architecture and repository of the three kings.
Traveling to Cologne (Köln), Germany:
Cologne (Köln) is in western Germany on the left bank of the Rhine, about 22 miles (35 km) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital of Düsseldorf and 14 miles (22 km) northwest of Bonn.
By air: Cologne Bonn Airport (IATA: CGN, ICAO: EDDK) is Germany’s fourth-largest passenger airport, located 12 km southeast of Cologne city center, and is a major hub for several low-cost carriers.
By train:
Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway hub of Cologne, located next to the Cologne Cathedral. It serves as a major local, national, and international transport node, one of the busiest stations in Germany. The station has 11 mainline platforms, with platforms 1–9 primarily used for high-speed and long-distance trains such as ICE, IC, EC, Eurostar, and Thalys. Night services like EuroNight and Nightjet also operate from this station.
By car:
A network of ten star-shaped motorway axes from all directions leads into a motorway ring that encircles the city – A 1, A 3, A 4, A 57, A 59, A 555, A 559. In addition, Cologne is connected to several major “Bundesstraße” B roads.
Special car seats and appropriate restraintsare compulsory for children. It is prohibited to use a hand-held mobile phone or similar device when driving.
In the city, we recommend using one of the Park & Ride facilities to avoid traffic jams.