Customs / 16.12.2023

Where to stay in Dusseldorf? Choosing a hotel. Cologne vs. Dusseldorf: an excursion into the history of rivalry between two cities Cologne and Cologne Cathedral

Back in 2004, I took special courses in brewing, part of which took place in the USA (which I already wrote about earlier), and the second part in Germany.

I had the opportunity to live in a suburb of Munich for just over a month and this experience was one of the most positive for me.

In contrast to America, calm Europe looked much better; the small and cozy suburbs of Munich captivated me with their harmony and measured life. And Munich itself still remains the most beloved city in Europe.

At the end of the training, another adventure awaited us - it was an 11-day tour of Europe, visiting Belgium and Switzerland. During these eleven days we had to see several breweries, visit a malt production plant, as well as several brewing equipment manufacturing plants. It was great and very interesting, but after 11 days on the bus we were very tired, and I actually got sick, the air conditioning was very cold (and maybe the beer :))

Today I want to talk about two cities, the relations between which are very similar to the relations between Moscow and St. Petersburg. These are Dusseldorf and Cologne. They are located fifty kilometers from each other and, since both cities are quite large by German standards, the inhabitants of these cities constantly compete for the title of the dominant city in the region.

This is so serious that they try to be different in everything. Each city has its own special type of beer. In Cologne there is a light lager called “Kölsch”, and in Düsseldorf there is a dark lager, which is better known as “Altbier”. In both cities they drink beer in a special way, not like, for example, in Bavaria. In any bar you will not find huge liter mugs, as in Munich. In both Cologne and Dusseldorf, beer is drunk from narrow vertical glasses with a capacity of 0.2 and 0.25 ml, respectively (see photo)

Of course, this is almost the same as drinking vodka from thimbles, you drink it quickly, you can’t count the quantity, the result is everyone gets drunk like a sausage :) The number of glasses drunk is marked by the waiter with a line on the coaster (stand for the glass) and at the end is counted and paid for.

Our trip plan included only Düsseldorf and we stopped there for the night. But I just couldn’t help but go to Cologne, which is very close by.

But first I’ll tell you a little about Dusseldorf. The first mention of a settlement on the site of modern Düsseldorf appeared in 1135; the village of Düsseldorp was located here.

The name of the city comes from the name of the Dussel River on which it is located. Now it is quite a large city, by German standards, with a population of about 600 thousand people.

The history of the city is not very rich in important historical events, however, in the 18th century during the Seven Years' War, the city fell into the hands of the French several times and then returned to the Germans.

Among the attractions of Düsseldorf, perhaps, one can highlight the Basilica of St. Lambert from the 13th century, with a very specifically twisted tower.

There are two versions of why this happened. One religious one says that the devil himself, being out of sorts, decided to destroy the newly built church and spun in a whirlwind around the tower, but nothing came of it. And only the spiraling tower still reminds us of that terrible day.

The second is engineering, which claims that the whole point is an error in the calculations and the tower, made entirely of metal, simply could not withstand such a weight and began to twist under the influence of gravity.

I wandered along the embankment of the Rhine River, from which the famous television tower of Dusseldorf - the Rheinturm - was especially clearly visible.

This tower is the tallest structure in the city, its height is 240.5 meters.

Near the historical center of the city there is a very pleasant park - Stadtmitte, I also took a walk in it.

What surprised me most were the palm trees on the streets of the German city. It feels like you are in some southern country. Although, on the other hand, if you take into account the number of Turks who live here, the palm trees look quite logical :)

Then I and some of my American friends went to Cologne to see the sights and drink the local Kölsch beer, which is sold only in Cologne and nowhere else.

The city of Cologne is much older than its eternal enemy and neighbor - Dusseldorf; five thousand years ago, fortified Celtic settlements existed on the site of Cologne. But the history of Cologne as a city began with the arrival of the Romans, who built their city here - Oppidum Ubiorum in 38 BC.

After about a hundred years, the city acquired the status of a Roman colony, which allowed it to develop at a gigantic pace. After this his name changed to Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium(Latin Colonia Claudius of the altar of Agrippina). After some time, the name was shortened to simply "Colonia", and in the local dialect simply "Cologne". A century later, the city’s population numbered 15 thousand people, which was simply huge for those times.

Roman rule in Cologne continued for almost 500 years. This rich city managed to successfully repel the attacks of the Alans, Vandals and Saxons. But nothing can last forever and in 454 the city fell under the onslaught of the Frankish tribes.

Cologne has a very rich history, which echoes the long history of the whole of Europe, and there is simply no point in retelling it on my blog. Let me just say that the city was involved in many important events, was a key city of the Holy Roman Empire and was even awarded the title of “holy” city, which besides only Constantinople and Rome had.

We were able to see the famous Cologne Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Peter, which was located on the same square as the train station where we arrived.

We spent the rest of the time in pubs, trying to taste local beer :)

The huge cathedral impresses anyone entering the square with its size. You have to tilt your head very far to see its top. The height of the cathedral is 157 meters, it ranks third in the list of the tallest churches in the world. It was built in the 13th century and since then has survived many upheavals and wars and only miraculously survived the Second World War.

We went inside; the Gothic cathedral was impressive not only from the outside. Then I was not yet spoiled by such architecture and enjoyed every stained glass window, every pattern, I liked absolutely everything.

One of the most valuable religious treasures kept in the cathedral is the “Shrine of the Three Kings”. The sarcophagus with the relics of the very three wise men who came to look at the newborn Jesus Christ is kept behind a metal grate.

Also in the cathedral is kept the staff of St. Peter with a knob from the 4th (!!!) century and the monstrance (don’t ask me what it is) of St. Peter. It’s simply amazing how easily believers all over the world create shrines for themselves out of nothing.

In the Cologne Cathedral you could go up to the observation deck, which offers views of the city.

The view, I must say, is so-so, but the carved texture of the towers is very impressive, especially in sunny weather.

The bell is hidden, but in working order.

Apart from the cathedral in Cologne, there was really nothing to see.

At least that's the impression I got.

The Rhine embankment was quite picturesque, but we were unable to find any specific and interesting places within walking distance from the station.

Although, perhaps, the company in which I went to the city played a negative role. Because in a cheerful and friendly company it is more pleasant to sit in a tavern and drink beer than to wander through boring streets :)

In the evening we returned to Dusseldorf, where we went to a restaurant with the rest of the students. This event in itself is of no interest, with the exception of a very unusual dish that one of our German teachers chose for himself.

We were returning from the restaurant late at night, and we had chosen an unfamiliar route. Therefore, along the way we photographed a beautiful, but almost invisible in the dark, Gothic church.

And a little later in a small park we saw a miracle. It glowed and was visible from afar. It evoked, to put it mildly, cosmic sensations. It turned out that these were unusual benches consisting of fluorescent lamps. How the Germans manage to keep them in such good condition is beyond comprehension.

The next morning we set off for Belgium.

This story is one of a series of stories about my training in Germany in April 2004.

The quiet charm of Cologne

The Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany is far from the most tourist area of the country. This is, first of all, the center of German industry, with a very high density of cities, similar to one another. However, there is also something to see here. First of all, the famous Cologne Cathedral. Actually, for this reason we included Cologne in our route, and Dusseldorf - because of the geographical proximity and transport convenience. Transport in Germany is a completely different story. It is difficult to imagine a clearer and more streamlined system than the German Deutche Bahn railways. A network of railways with many stations inside large cities envelops the entire country in a web. Trains run so frequently that there is no difference between the city's underground system and the national rail network. At the same time, the stations are not even as large as in Russia and Ukraine. But on each platform, trains change one after another at intervals of 2-3 minutes. This is where the real German precision lies.

KLM will operate flights from Amsterdam

We arrived in Dusseldorf at half past ten in the morning, having not yet fully recovered from the influence of Amsterdam. The city seemed quite strict and gloomy. On a weekday there were almost no people on the streets; everyone was working in their numerous offices and enterprises. On the way to the Rhine embankment and the old town, we saw a small square with benches and a small pond with ducks. We sat there for a while to gather the remnants of our strength after Amsterdam for the German push.

After wandering around the city for a couple of hours, the only interesting place, and even then with a stretch, seemed to us to be the city square Marktplatz.

It is located in the center of the old town with narrow streets and small German restaurants.

The Rheinturm tower seemed like a gloomy concrete structure hanging over the city, and the city's most famous street, Königsallee, completely resembled a sewer.

In general, after looking at the ordinariness of a typical industrial German city, we went to the more cultural Cologne. The train ride took about half an hour. It is very convenient to buy tickets from vending machines, which are installed everywhere at train stations. Tickets are not valid for a specific train, but for one trip during the day. There are also unlimited day passes within certain zones and regions. True, this all applies to regional trains. For interregional and international Intercity-express (or ICE) trains, the system is different. You can use them to buy tickets, including online, for a specific train and a specific time, both with and without a seat reservation. In this case, you will have to sit on any free one.

Cologne Central Station is located directly opposite the Cathedral. In general, all the most interesting things in this city are located in a small area. The city hall and the old Alter Markt square are located 800 meters from the station, and a little further away is St. Martin's Church. There is also the Rhine embankment and the Hohenzollern Bridge, which crosses the river.

Cologne Cathedral is by far the most outstanding building that we have seen since the beginning of our European trip. It is difficult to catch the right angle so that it completely fits into the camera frame. A building with a huge history and one of the personifications of the Gothic style in architecture, this cathedral definitely deserves to come to Cologne, if only for its sake.

The inside of the cathedral looks no less large. The high nave, beautiful stained glass windows, organs, and a pleasant atmosphere of tranquility can make you not leave the walls of the cathedral for a long time.

After visiting the main attraction of Cologne, we walked around the city a little more, sat on the Rhine embankment, watching the pleasure boats, and went to Cologne/Bonn airport, also by train. Along the way, we had a snack of fried sausages in one of the eateries at the Cologne train station. Very tasty, but the pleasure costs 5 euros. Not cheap for fast food. Our flight to Prague was delayed by an hour, so we had to walk around the airport a little, which is quite large but convenient. At about 10 pm we arrived in Prague. We took bus number 100 to the nearest metro station - Zličín, and from there to the Grado Motel, which is located near the Jinonice station. The next day we had a full-scale tour of Prague.

How to get to Cologne

It is now quite easy to fly from Moscow to the western part of Germany, where Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Bonn are located, relatively cheaply. In addition to the low-cost Pobeda, which flies to Cologne-Bonn Airport, other airlines offer flights to the large and modern international airport of Düsseldorf. A round trip flight without luggage will cost approximately 12 thousand rubles. per person.

The 40 km distance from Dusseldorf Airport to Cologne Cathedral is best covered by car. Having landed and gone through passport control, we go to the first floor to the rental counters. About 25€ per day, a deposit of 250€, which is returned to you upon return, and in 20 minutes you are “on wheels”.

Some things worth knowing about traffic in western Germany:

There are no toll roads in Germany ( until 2019!) with the exception of special tunnels. Despite this, all highways are of excellent quality.
Even on intercity routes there may be traffic jams, for example, due to road repairs. Take this into account when planning your route.
The speed limit in cities is 50 km/h. Outside cities - most are 100 km/h, but sometimes more - watch the signs.
In the central part of European cities it is quite difficult to park directly on the street. On the other hand, there are a significant number of paid or multi-storey car parks. In Cologne, the cost of parking at such facilities is 1-2 € per hour. You can park right under the cathedral.
The cost of fuel in Europe is significantly higher than in Russia. On average, a liter of diesel will cost about 1.20€.

Traveling by train between cities is also quite convenient, especially considering that Cologne's central station is literally next door to the cathedral. However, the cost of a train ticket from Dusseldorf to Cologne is about 13 €. A little expensive.

Cologne and Cologne Cathedral

Bombing during the Second World War destroyed the city almost to the ground. Photographs from that time show the astonishing results - the ruins of the city and the cathedral towering above them, also significantly damaged.

The city, of course, was restored, but other than that, there’s not much really interesting in the city, to be honest. But this allows you not to spend a lot of time studying it.

How to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne? What is the distance between these cities? How long will the trip take? How to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne by train, car or boat? Let's figure out together what methods can be used to overcome this distance and which of them will be the most preferable.

On German roads

You can talk about your trip to Germany for hours. And it’s not even about churches, palaces and other historical and architectural attractions - everything is different here. Clean streets, a decent standard of living and unique monuments, combined with German punctuality and mentality, make traveling around Germany one of the most exciting experiences.

Almost every city in Germany deserves special attention, but now we will talk about two, perhaps, of the most unique Bavarian metropolises in their unsurpassed style. Or more precisely, about how to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne. The distance between them is not that great - only about 50 kilometers. You can overcome it in various ways: by car, train, bus and even by boat. In summer, electric trains and overhead trains run between cities. The journey will not take much time - about an hour and a half.

By train

This is the simplest option. Trains from Düsseldorf depart regularly from the Main Station and arrive at Cologne Main Station. In total, about 50 trains pass along this route per day. They all arrive at their destination in about 20-25 minutes. There are also city trains that depart to Cologne every 15-20 minutes.

Along the entire route, the Düsseldorf - Cologne train makes six stops in the north-eastern part of the city. One ticket costs about 12 and a half euros.

By bus

When looking for information on how to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne, you should pay attention to bus routes. Tourists can use transport services offered by Fixbus, City2City, PostBus, etc. They depart every day, but at different times. Information about them can be found at one of the stations.

It is best to travel by commuter bus to Cologne from Düsseldorf in the cool season. In summer, tourists prefer to travel by train. Firstly, because it's faster. And secondly, because it’s more comfortable.

This information will be very useful for those who are deciding how to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne. This route has some similarities with one, no less popular direction: Moscow - St. Petersburg. The fact is that these two cities tirelessly compete with each other for the title of the most beautiful city in Germany. Tourists very often ask the question of how to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne. Therefore, it is worth telling travelers in detail how to do this in the most convenient way.

As mentioned above, there are several ways to get to Cologne from Dusseldorf. This can be done by rail, bus, electric train or car. Many people ask: “Is it possible to get from Dusseldorf to Cologne by boat?” We will definitely tell you how to do this, but a little later.

The most convenient and practical options

The easiest way to get from one city to another is by train. Rail transport departs and arrives at the main stations of each city. No transfer is needed for this. If a tourist decides to use it, the cost of the service will unpleasantly surprise the customer. The fact is that the beautiful Dusseldorf and the contrasting city of Cologne belong to different transport companies. Accordingly, they have different pricing. At Langenfeld-Bahnhof station there is a kind of border. From Düsseldorf you must first get to it, and only after that - to Cologne. It turns out to be a little cheaper than the cost of a simple ticket from one city to another.

It is better to purchase train tickets in advance. To do this, you can use the special service bahn.de. You should find out in advance where the train is arriving. The fact is that there are two train stations in Cologne: the main one and the secondary one (so to speak). The last one is served by ICE trains, the ticket price of which is slightly higher than usual.

Airport

It happens that you need to cover the distance "Dusseldorf - Cologne" as quickly as possible. Buses run regularly from the departure point airport. You can also use transfer services. But this can be done provided there is a group of eight people. You can, of course, go yourself, without waiting for the other 6-7 people, but, as you understand, you will have to pay for all the tickets.

The airport building has an underground railway station. An electric train departs every 20 minutes to Cologne. The entire trip will take no more than 1.5 hours. At the station you can see the schedule of electric trains. The German company SkyTrain also operates on this route. The city of Cologne is easily reached by suspension train. Many people prefer this particular method of transportation - a trip on the monorail will seem bright and exciting. In addition, this is a unique opportunity to look at the sights of Germany from a different perspective.

An impressive boat trip

The German company Koln - Dusseldorf offers tourists to take a delightful walk along the Rhine, and at the same time get from one city to another. This is comparable to a real romantic trip that will bring many bright and exciting emotions.

A trip on a boat is a comfortable transfer and a real journey that will bring many vivid impressions (of course, if you do not suffer from seasickness). By the way, on board the ship you can watch football matches, take part in a themed party, and also have an exciting time. Finding the pier is not difficult - you can find KD signs everywhere, which will lead you to the ship.

What other options might there be?

The problem with buses here is that there are no direct flights as such, only passing ones. Therefore, it’s not worth looking for this route in the schedule - it will cost a pretty penny. This also applies to airplanes. Who wants to travel just 40 kilometers for crazy money?

You can cover the route by car. You can rent it directly in the city or at the airport.

Now you know how to get from one German city to another. All that remains is to wish you a safe journey and a pleasant journey!

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Where to stay in Dusseldorf? Choosing a hotel. Cologne vs. Dusseldorf: an excursion into the history of rivalry between two cities Cologne and Cologne Cathedral