|
Cologne (Köln)
When Julius
Caesar’s invading army arrived in what is now Germany, roughly six
decades BCE, they got a
mixed and mostly hostile reception.
Some tribes were
defeated militarily in short order. Decades later, in
the Teutoburger Forest, the tables turned and the Roman legions were
beaten badly by the Germanen.
The tribe known as
Ubii, by contrast, welcomed them enthusiastically. They were moved by
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
from the west to the east
bank of the Rhine as a protection against the Suebi tribe, who were
hostile to the Roman invaders and by association to the Ubii. Their new
home was a piece of
land which is now downtown Cologne. They even changed the name of their
tribe from Ubii to Agrippenses. The settlement grew into a full-fledged
colonial
city, one of the largest north of the Alps. At a spot near  the
great
river the Ubii/Agrippenses had a place of worship, and from that the
city got the name Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, meaning
“Claudius’ Colony by the Altar of the
Agrippenses.” The temple, built for the veneration of Roman
gods, occupied the place where we now find the Cologne
Cathedral and the
Romano-Germanic
Museum.
Like Nijmegen
and Xanten,
Cologne has
been continuously occupied and growing since Roman times. The city
today isboth one of the most important and one of the most festive in
Germany.
People from all over the world are drawn not only to its cathedral and
museum but also to its restaurants, pubs and party atmosphere. While
visiting Cologne, many people stop by at at Glockengasse 4711, where
Eau de Cologne originated.
For more on the
history of Cologne check here
and here.
|
|
 |
|
Cologne
|
|
People relax and eat lunch at midday in the waterfront
park in Köln.