Cologne, a 2,000-year-old city spanning the Rhine River in western Germany, is the region’s cultural hub. A landmark of High Gothic architecture set amid reconstructed old town, the twin-spired Cologne Cathedral is also known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views. The adjacent Museum Ludwig showcases 20th-century art, including many masterpieces by Picasso, and the Romano-Germanic Museum houses Roman antiquities. Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany and the largest in North Rhine-Westphalia. From time immemorial, it’s been one of the biggest European transport centres: on average, it’s crossed by 8 trains every minute.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
Cologne is one of the oldest large German cities and its name dates back to Roman times. The Romans founded the Ubii village on the Rhine in 50 AD and named it “Colonia”. Impressive city gates and ruins of city walls line the “Ring” and the Museum of the City of Cologne houses other “historical artefacts”. The city’s famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The second largest religion is Islam with 3.3 million adherents (four percent) followed by Buddhism and Judaism, both with around 200,000 adherents (c. 0.25 percent).
Brief City History
Cologne became a Roman city in 50BC, called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. Because of its location, it became a very important city during Roman and Frankish times. During the Middle Ages, Cologne was one of the most important cities in Europe with religious, economic and political significance, especially after Archbishop Rainald von Dassel gave the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne in 1164. These relics were the occasion to build the world-famous Kölner Dom. Cologne has always been a souverain and proud city until it was occupied by France in 1794. Because of this heritage, the Cologne dialect uses several French terms. In 1815, Cologne became a part of Prussia in the German Empire.
During the Second World War, most of Cologne was destroyed. The city was rebuilt, being the neighbour of the new capital Bonn, and exceeded one million inhabitants in 1975. In the 1980s and ’90s, Cologne became host to many media companies and very important fairs like the Gamescom.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
What language is spoken in Cologne Germany? Almost all people here in Cologne speak Standard German, often with a slight, melodic Accent. The actual dialect, Kölsch, is understood by many and somewhat used by some people, but you will rarely encounter it in day to day conversations.
Important Types of Commerce in Cologne
The city remains a banking centre, as it was in the Middle Ages, and it is the site of one of the world’s oldest commodity and stock exchanges. It has been a centre of the automotive industry—notably engine manufacture—since the late 19th century and is now the headquarters of the European operations of the Ford Motor Company. But business activity has become greatly diversified. Insurance has assumed a major position, and Cologne is a leading media centre with many publishing houses and production companies for radio and television. Engineering, electrical engineering, machinery, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals also are significant. Other manufactures include chocolate and the city’s famous eau de cologne, which was first produced commercially at the beginning of the 18th century. In addition, several prominent economic organizations have their headquarters in Cologne, and numerous major trade fairs are held annually in the KölnMesse. The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research is headquartered in the city.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Cologne
German is the official language of Cologne. For any industry to penetrate into Cologne, it’s exceptionally important to use a professional translator when you want to translate German. Many business sectors, including Automobile, Legal, Medical, Agriculture, Tech, Science, Government and so on utilize professional German translation services to flawlessly translate their important documents. A professional German translator with an expert understanding of the use of vocabulary and grammar is best equipped to handle the specific nuances of this unique language.
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