A Colossal Hall for an Exquisite Town
City Hall
Cologne’s City Hall, or Kölner Rathaus in German, is located in the heart of the city center, where the Roman Praetorium (the Roman General’s building) was situated, and is the oldest city hall currently in use in Germany. The building is a highly symbolic piece of architecture, signifying the city's autonomy during medieval times. After the Romanesque building’s demolition, the first Cologne Town Hall was constructed sometime soon after 1130, with a fire destroying much of it in 1367. The oldest and main part of the building that was saved is the Saalbau – the 10 meter high roofed hall building – which was named after the Hanseatic League, also known as the Hansasaal.. Similar to other historical city buildings, the construction visible today is an assembly of different structures that have been added over the centuries. This feature contributes to the building’s unique architectural design. More specifically, it includes a 14th-century town hall, a 15th-century tower, a 16th-century loggia, while the atrium, thePiazzetta, was built in the 20th century.
As seen on
Cologne City Tour: The Jewel of the Rhine