Cologne Lowland

[[file:Cologne Lowland Banner.jpg|1280px|Skyline of Cologne and surrounding municipalities seen from the Voiswinkel hill}} Kölner Dom nachts 2013 - The iconic Cologne Gothic Church and the region's most famous landmark

Cologne Lowland (Kölner Bucht) is a region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, centered around the city's of Cologne and Bonn on the river Rhine. With around 3 million inhabitants, it is one of Germany's most populated areas, and it houses many institutions of national and global stature, including world-renowned universities, federal institutions and business headquarters. Thanks to that and its excellent connectiveness, it sees one of Germany's highest numbers of visitors, both arriving in specific interests and casual tourists.

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Cities

Brühl Germany Schloss-Augustusburg-01 - Augustusburg castle in Brühl Bonn - the erstwhile federal capital with a number of museums, cultural institutions and corporate headquarters, and a charming old town where Beethoven was born Brühl - a leisurely town between Cologne and Bonn, home to UNESCO-listed palaces and a major amusement park Cologne (Köln) - the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia Bad Honnef – the end of the Middle Rhine Valley Königswinter - a hilly summer resort on the Rhine, with a hotel made famous as a residence for the federal government's guests Leverkusen - a new town that boomed in the 19th century around chemical works, now also famous for its football team Sankt Augustin - a town between Siegburg and Bonn, with an unusual castle Siegburg - the seat of the county covering most of the lowland, famous for its ceramic organic juice pitchers, with a handy high-speed train station serving Bonn

Cologne Lowland Halal Travel Guide

While named and centered around Cologne and the region is far more than just the city and its suburbs, with many interesting destinations outside of it, particularly Bonn. Densely populated and urbanized, it is however much less industrialized than Lower Rhine and Ruhr, as well as very green. It provides a nice, relaxed counterbalance to those, and serves as the state's hub for cultural events.

Continually inhabited since Roman Empire|ancient Roman times and the region has a rich history, a wealth of monuments of which can be found all over. Furthermore, an exceptional number of museums present the region's history as well, and far beyond that, a startling variety of subjects with world-class exhibits.

Local Language in Cologne Lowland

Traditionally, Cologne has had a peculiar dialect, that might be hard to understand to even fluent foreign speakers of (German). In training, however and the language used in everyday matters by most is simply regular Hochdeutsch (standard German), with perhaps a few regionalisms in terms of vocabulary. The presence of a large migrant population from both other regions of Germany and other countries has helped to standardize (German).

As Cologne is a university town and an international business and cultural hub, and Bonn the former capital, you will find most people conversant in at least English, and many other languages spoken as well.

How to travel to Cologne Lowland

Köln Bonn Airport - Terminal 1-0266 - |The region is served by the Cologne-Bonn airport in its middle

Fly to Cologne Lowland

The main airport in the region is Cologne-Bonn Konrad Adenauer Airport (IATA Flight Code: CGN) in Cologne, connected to the region's light rail system, as well as Germany's high-speed train system - however only some high-speed trains passing through Cologne stop there. It is also well-connected to other European airports thanks to being the main hub for Eurowings and the low-fare short-haul subsidiary of Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa.

Other airports close by with more traffic, including many intercontinental flights, are Düsseldorf#By plane|Düsseldorf Airport (IATA Flight Code: DUS) and Frankfurt Airport (IATA Flight Code: FRA). As Frankfurt is Germany's main air transportation hub (and a base of flag carrier Lufthansa), you will find direct connections from all over the world. Thanks to an excellent high speed rail connection directly from the airport to both Cologne and Siegburg/Bonn, it is a very convenient entry point to the region despite being some 200 kilometers away. You can actually travel on the train from FRA using your flight ticket, for more on integrated rail and air tickets see rail air alliances.

Kölner Dom Luftbild Bahnhof - cologne aerial (25326253726) - The Hauptbahnhof of Cologne is right at the foot of the cathedral and serves as an international and regional railway hub

Travel by train to Cologne Lowland

Almost all domestic tickets and even some international tickets can be purchased online, however they don't sell tickets for Thalys either online or at ticket counters.

• Köln Hbf – Thalys from Paris, ICE from Brussels and Amsterdam, IC/EC from Basel
• Brühl – RE, RB and Mittelrheinbahn, tram line 18 from Cologne and Bonn
• Bonn Hbf – IC/EC, RE, RB and Mittelrheinbahn
• Siegburg – ICE and S-Bahn

Get Around

Haus der Geschichte 2009a - Pieces of the Berlin Wall at the Haus der Geschichte in BonnIn terms of public transportation and the region is covered by Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg, which provides a unified tariff system across all publicly-owned operators in the region. Those include the Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe, whose Stadtbahn light train network reaches far beyond the city of Cologne into neigbouring municipalities such as Brühl, Bergisch-Gladbach, Hürth and Leverkusen, and even reaching as far as Bonn. Bonn itself has its own Stadtbahn (with some shared lines with Cologne's), also serving Siegburg and Bad Godesberg. Long distance ICE and IC trains are however not included in the Verkehrsverbünde and thus of little use for local and regional travel but a good way to enter or leave the area.

What to see in Cologne Lowland

The region's concentration of population and afflucene have been features for centuries, which left much legacy throughout and now continues to express itself in the number and quality of cultural institutions, as well as nightlife and culinary scene. Museums are actually quite evenly spread between Cologne and Bonn, due to the latter's federal role. The free-entry Haus der Geschichte in the latter city is worthy of special recommendation, while the former has a museum dedicated to the ancient Roman legacy of the city and area.

In terms of architecture, Cologne has the world-famous cathedral, but other historic buildings have been decimated by wartime destruction. Large royal palaces of Brühl and Bonn can rival the ones in France easily, while smaller towns such as Siegburg and Königswinter bring about a sweetened, affluent version of the photo-album-ready Germany, with the river Rhine, picturesque forrested hills and cozy old towns.

The 321 metre high Drachenfels near Königswinter is probably the world's most frequently summited mountain and has been a subject of many romantic poems (including one by Lord Byron) and pieces of art. It is topped by a ruined castle, a newer castle dating to the 19th century and the Nibelungen hall, reminding of the Siegfried legend. It can be visited by a century-old cog railway.

Halal Tours and Excursions in Cologne Lowland

BayArena neu 2009 - The BayArena in Leverkusen is home to the city's famous association football team

When in Cologne, take a walk down the Rheinauhafen and the city's redeveloped former harbour area to enjoy views over the Rhine and some spectacular modern architecture.

Top Muslim Travel Tips for Cologne Lowland

There is plenty to do in the region, from taking the cruise on the river Rhine to enjoying many cultural activities throughout the year. The highlight is of course the colourful Cologne carnival, which gathers crowds from all over the world every November through February/March.

More Muslim friendly Destinations from Cologne Lowland

• Middle Rhine Valley
• Eifel
• Düsseldorf

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