Cologne (German: Köln)
is Germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and is the largest city both
in the German Federal State of North
Rhine-Westphalia
and within the Rhine-Ruhr
Metropolitan Area,
one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than 10
million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC.
Cologne was granted
the status of a Roman "city" in the year 50 AD.
Cologne lies on the
Rhine. The city's famous Cologne
Cathedral (Kölner Dom)
is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop
of Cologne. The
University
of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest universities.
Cologne is a major cultural
centre of the Rhineland and has a vibrant art scene. Cologne
counts over 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions
range from local ancient Roman archaeological sites to contemporary
graphics and sculpture. The city's Cologne
Trade Fair Grounds
are host to a number of trade shows such as the Art
Cologne Fair, the
International Furniture Fair (IMM) and the Photokina. Cologne is also well known for
its celebration of Cologne
Carnival and the
LGBT festival Christopher
Street Day (CSD).
Within Germany, Cologne
is known as an important media centre. Several radio and television
stations, including Westdeutscher
Rundfunk (WDR)
and RTL, are based in the city. The city
also hosts the Cologne
Comedy Festival,
which is considered to be the largest comedy festival in Mainland
Europe.
In 2005 Cologne hosted
the 20th Roman Catholic World
Youth Day with
Pope Benedict XVI. It was one of the largest ever meetings, with
over a million participants.
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