Here and there, as in this underground parking garage, Köln’s earliest remains emerge.
The history of Cologne goes back to the New Testament age, beginning in 38 BC as a Roman settlement for the Ubii tribe. Officially raised to the status of a Roman colony in AD 50 by Empress Agrippina the Younger, the city—then known as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium—served as the administrative capital of Lower Germany. Today, this 2,000-year-old heritage is still “hidden in plain sight,” from the preserved Roman-Germanic Museum mosaics to the ancient sewer systems that still sit beneath the modern streets.
Video Tour:
Walk the ancient pavers of Cologne in the video below.