Nobody does Christmas or Christmas markets quite like Germany. So when I asked my friend and expert Nicky for tips on where to find the best, I wasn’t surprised when she recommended Cologne.
The largest city in North-Rhine Westphalia may be best known for its imposing Gothic cathedral but, having spent a December weekend there, I can confirm that Cologne knows how to celebrate the festive season more than most and that its markets are up there with the best. Dotted around the city centre, they vary from a tourist-tastic version by the cathedral to more modest affairs at Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz.
We visited the city for three nights, flying in from Gatwick with British Airways on the Thursday evening. Our base was the modern, sterile Pullman hotel, mid-way between the cathedral and the popular Belgian quarter, which we visited for a few hours of drinking after checking in. Leaving the markets to the following day, we found a typical German pub on Brussels Platz in a district of funky bars and hip shops set back from the brashness and neon of the main Hohenzollerring. We devoted ourselves that night to the city’s own beer, kölsch, which looks like lager but is described as being some way between it and a typical ale. And very pleasant it is too, served in modest 0.2l glasses until such time as you show you want no more by putting a beer mat on top of the glass. We started how we meant to go on…
Cologne’s reputation as a Christmas markets destination was pretty obvious the following morning when we went out for a walk. Around the cathedral the streets overflowed with people and folk from a wide range of nations mingled. The vast market surrounding the cathedral was already busy, and many were tucking into Gluhwein. The heady scent of cinnamon, and the less pleasant cheesey honk of raclette, drifted on the breeze. Centred on a giant, extravagantly illuminated Christmas tree, the market stalls were doing a roaring trade in everything from tat to genuinely hand-crafted treats. This was Christmas markets on steroids.
We walked in to the Altstadt, the historic heart of the city nestled against the fast-moving, muddy River Rhine. Like many of Germany’s industrial cities, Cologne was mostly flattened during the Second World War and many of the buildings that stand today are replicas or heavily restored. The Atlstadt may not be the prettiest of medieval old towns because of it, but it has low-rise character, numerous squares, narrow alleys and pedestrianised areas. Several of those squares – the Heumarkt and the Alter Markt – hosted more markets but with a much greater degree of atmosphere and tradition. Festive lights filled the trees and a large ice rink had been laid out, popular with skaters but somewhat awash in puddles in the mild temperatures. There was no ignoring the Christmas songs blasting from speakers everywhere and even on a Friday the streets were heaving with people.
We stopped for lunch and then decided to have a few hours away from the markets in one or two of the city’s museums. We’d been keen on visiting the Romano-Germanic Museum in a modern and generally unappealing red-brick building alongside the cathedral but it was closed for refurbishment. Instead the area seemed to be a congregating point for the disappointingly large army of Cologne’s homeless citizens. I was genuinely shocked and surprised to see so many people curled up in doorways in this otherwise prosperous city and it looked even worse than London, which is saying something. A few yards away we found the Museum Ludwig, a gallery that focuses on 20th century modern art, and we opted to give it a go. The building’s interior is an impressive space and a bit of a maze, with a generous selection of famous works by the likes of Warhol, Lichtenstein and Picasso among many others. Impressive and colourful it is too, although there ended up being a bit too much of it for my liking…
Not in the remotest bit cheery is another museum that we visited on the Sunday. The NS Documentation Centre marks the years of Nazi rule in the city and its consequences, and it’s located in what was the HQ of the Gestapo. The El-De House was a private residence until the notorious secret police started renting it out, converted the basement into a prison and torture chamber and laid out an execution area outside. It’s this section of the tour that’s the most chilling, moving and atmospheric. Incredibly, hundreds of scribblings left on the walls of the cramped cells by prisoners remain intact and have been preserved. Many have been translated and linked to known prisoners, whose stories are told on the information panels. Many were people from Eastern Europe. Some survived but others were hanged in a courtyard outside, where I spent a few minutes silently trying to put myself in the position of the poor bastards who found themselves the victims of the Nazis in the final minutes of their lives. On the upper floors the exhibition is focused on the rise of the Nazis in Cologne, their victims and the experience of the locals during the war. There was a hell of a lot to take in and we ended up having to edit as we went with the use of the audio guide, or we’d have been there hours later. I was pleased to see that the museum was busy because it’s important we never forget quite how dreadful this period of history was and how evil people can be given the opportunity.
Our evenings were spent either in the markets or in one of the city’s bars and restaurants. At Neumarkt we found our favourite market, busy and smaller but far less touristy. We downed plenty of Gluhwein and treated ourselves to Bratwurst and potato pancakes amid the crowds, lights and fun. The only thing missing was an oompah band.
Saturday night saw us back in the maze of alleyways in the Altstadt looking for somewhere to eat, which wasn’t an easy task in a city so busy with holidaymakers. We eventually blundered in to Em Krutzche down by the river, a classy and traditional restaurant with a quality menu and excellent service. It had even hosted members of the G8 about 20 years ago. Perhaps it had several free tables because it was quite a bit pricier than the competition… Still, I had liver drenched in sage and butter, washed down with lashings of kölsch, and very good it was too.