Cologne, Germany

Cologne (Köln) is, in terms of population, the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the German Province (Bundesland) of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the most important German inland ports, and considered the economic, cultural, and historic capital of the Rhineland. It is the 16th largest city in the European Union. At the end of 2004, Cologne's population was 969,709.

The renowned cathedral was begun in 1268, left unfinished in the 16th century, and finally completed in 1880. Our stop in Cologne was so brief that we had only a few minutes at the cathedral following our museum tour. We would have liked to experience more of this great city, but didn't want to be left behind as our boat sailed.