The city's very name bears witness to its Roman past as the town of Colonia. As well as the legacy from Roman times and the Middle Ages, particularly the world-famous cathedral, Cologne has an extremely lively arts and culture scene. And besides being a centre of carnival activity and the "capital of Rhenish joie de vivre", Cologne is also an extremely attractive trade fair centre. Open, friendly and uncomplicated: that's Cologne!

Cologne can look back on a long and eventful history, and you can see evidence of this all over the city. Cologne Cathedral is Germany's largest cathedral and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The city's Rheingarten park and old quarter are a firm favourite with locals and tourists alike, a great place to enjoy a stroll and stop off at one of the traditional breweries. You'll find a striking group of twelve large Romanesque churches in the city centre.

With a fascinating range of museums and the ART COLOGNE art fair, Cologne's international reputation as a centre of art and culture is well-deserved. The most important museums include the Ludwig Museum and the Wallraf Richartz Museum/Fondation Corboud, one of Germany's largest collections of paintings. The Romano-Germanic Museum presents Cologne's archaeological heritage, and the Museum Schnütgen houses one of the world's most important collections of art from the Middle Ages.