Cologne skylines, landmarks and views

- Cologne Triangle, Cologne Cathedral, KölnTurm, Colonius, Rhine riverfront, Hansa Hochhaus, Kranhäuser, Deutz, West Köln, Altstadt, Great St Martin, Koelnmesse, Lanxess Tower, Kolonia Hochhaus, Messeturm

Cologne was heavily bombed in 1945 during WWII so most historic buildings were replaced by modernist buldings. There are many church towers rebuilt and Cologne skyscrapers and highrises but they are very spread out all over the city, except for the city center where the cathedral is the only tall building. There are no skyscraper clusters in the city. Most highrises were built in the 70s.

The Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) survived the bombings . This catholic church is the largest and most impressive gothic cathedral in the world and the greatest landmark of Köln! At 157m to the two spires it is still the tallest building in Köln. It was also the world’s tallest structure in 1880-84 and still the world’s 3rd tallest church! The cathedral was built 1248–1560 and completed 1842–1880.

The tallest skyscraper in Cologne is the 148m (166m to the antenna) tall KölnTurm, with 43 floors, built in 2001 in West Köln, near Colonius. It is part of MediaPark by famous architects Jean Nouvel and Kohl&Kohl, an office complex with buildngs around a modern circular place. It is the 2nd tallest skyscraper in Nordrhein-Westfalen (after Bonn’s Postturm). It is still not as tall as the Cologne Cathedral though.

The tallest structure in the whole Rhine area is the 266m tall Colonius TV tower, built in 1981, and situated in West Köln. Unfortunately the observation deck and restaurant has been closed since 1992 (because of lack of leasing contract), but there is a newer building that features an observation deck; The landmark in Deutz, opposite the Old town from the Rhine, is KölnTriangle, a 103m tall circular glass skyscraper from 2006, that has a very popular observation deck, CologneView, on the top 29th floor. Lanxess Tower is also a tall glass building in Deutz, built in 1969 as Lufthansa-Hochhaus, but completely recladded with glass in 2012 since the name was changed. Kolonia Hochhaus, a modernist building from 1972, is situated in the North part of Cologne and is the 2nd tallest skyscraper in the city (147m, 42 floor).

Hansa-Hochaus, built in 1925, was one of Germany’s first highrises, and for a brief period, Europe’s tallest highrise. It is 66m tall and has 18 floors. UniCenter, the historic 80m tall Messeturm (Fair Tower from 1928) and the red and blue Herkules-Hochhaus from 1972, are other notable highrises. Rheinsternhaus from 1973 and facing Rhine, is the tallest residential building.

As partly an industrial city, there are many tall chimneys in the city, the tallest one is 250m tall and the 2nd tallest structure in Köln. There are a few towers intact of the 12 that were part of the city wall, Hahnentorburg at Rudolfplatz, Ulprepforte along Sachsenring and Severinstorburg at Chlodwigplatz.