On Easter Sunday, we arrived in Cologne, Germany while cruising along the Rhine on our Viking River Cruise. We toured the Fish Markt and the Alter Markt before heading to the old City Hall, or Rathaus as it is called in German.
It was the first “high rise” structure in Cologne that was not associated with a church or religious building.
Looking up at the tower, it is hard to believe it is only five stories tall.
This is Germany’s oldest City Hall.
It features a glockenspiel on top of the tower.
The tower was built between 1407 and 1414, making it 600 years old.
There are 130 Stone Figures that surround the sides of the Tower.
These were all restored after World War II.
They are all different and represent different notable medieval figures, including the Nine Worthies.
I believe this group of nine figures over an entrance should be the Nine Worthies.
They really look like a motley crew of figures.
They are very detailed and I am sure that they are full of symbolism.
Not only are the stone figures interesting, but the gargoyles are, too! You can see one here and a couple in the photo below.
The Gothic trim on the windows is amazing.
And the clock is said to be Platzjabbeckv, a self confident and cocky figure portraying the bourgeoisie middle class. On the hour he opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue. We were lucky that we were there close to the time he did this, as we were able to see his tongue coming out when we were there.
Here you can see part of the Loggia, a Renaissance feature added in the sixteenth century, also called the Rathauslaube.
From the upper part of the Loggia, the balcony, many important speeches were given by officials of City Hall to the citizens in the square below.
But if any speeches were given while we were visiting, the only ones listening would be our little tour group and the pigeons.
The detail on the arches of the Loggia were amazing. So much to take in!
Of course, I really loved these cherubs!
Here you can see the different rooflines of the Rathaus…the Gothic Tower and the Renaissance Loggia.
Here is a view looking up to the right.
And looking up to the left.
And since this is City Hall, the top of the Loggia features Lady Justice.
She is blindfolded, carries her sword and scales and beautifully represented.
Everything is just so beautiful!
Even the drain covers are beautiful!
And there I am, with my blue backpack, doing what I do, taking pictures. To the right, you can see newer architecture and barriers. The Rathaus is located in the old Jewish Quarter of Cologne and while we were there, they were excavating the old Jewish Baths, or mikvah, that date back probably 700 years.
When all is done, there will be a Jewish Museum built.
We could see some of the old walls of the baths and synagogue through the fences.
It was hard to believe that there had been a Jewish settlement in Cologne since right after the Roman founding of this city. It would have been nice to see more of the area. But it was time to head on to the next area of our guided tour, Heumarkt or Hay Market.
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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