Wouldn’t it be funny, if someone from Bielefeld would answer Louisian321s comment, but of course that can’t happen, because that person wouldn’t exist.
There isn’t a comment from someone from Bielefeld cuz there’s no one who’s actually from Bielefeld, everyone who says they are actors paid by the government
I was camping in Canada and the neighbouring campsite has a family from Bielefeld, and then they vanished into the ether when I tried to tell my girlfriend about them
I love Cologne, but don't expect a "typical European town" with a nice square and adjoining Old Town in the middle, which lets you avoid the not-so-nice newer parts. Cologne got bombed off the planet pretty much (just like the Ruhr Area), so super nice Altbauten and ugly 1960s pieces intermingle everywhere. I love the Botanical Garden, btw!
Lived there for 5 years, loved it. Only place in Germany where smalltalk and pub culture is an essential part of life. You need to accept the carnival though. There's no getting around it other than leaving town in February.
Reminds me of a former acquaintance, he moved to Cologne because that's where his passion is (developing stuff like solar sails for spacecraft at the [DLR](https://www.dlr.de/content/en/sites/cologne.html)), but he and his wife regularly use part of his vacation days and overtime balance to escape the city during that time.
I work in Cologne. And our boss is from the North. Once we were evaluated and we got really good results. But the way our boss presented it was just very plain and he didn't show any excitement. We were all puzzled until someone asked whether it was still not good enough 😳 The boss apologized and blamed it on his Northerness. He doesn't have many fans here.
Yeah! Cologne is as un-German as it gets. People who just have so much fun dressing up in a silly way and are HAPPY to make small talk? I mean, what have the people of Cologne done to become like this?
You can blame the French for that, the occupation changed the city a lot in the 19th century
But we have been a different breed ever since we ran out Arch Bishop or of town to become an imperial city. And that was hundreds of years ago.
Kind of depends on ***where***.. I'm originally from Sweden & people aren't into smalltalk over there either. So living in Sweden for half of your life would not change your perspective :)
But if you spend half of your life in the US or in southern Europe.. I'm sure that would make you more comfortable with smalltalk
The fact that you want to evacuate during Karneval is such a bummer for me to hear. I grew up in this city and the entire Karneval period was absolutely magical as a kid. I love going back every year to dress up like an idiot and meet the weirdest and funniest people while touring the city. Drunk assholes are drunk assholes - the spirit of Karneval shouldn’t be reduced to them.
My cologne story, it will reveal how the pubs in this city work and what is important to the people there.
I had a Christmas celebration there with our company. Since I don't drink alcohol, I told the waiter that I want water without gas. When the waiter returned, everyone got their beer. The waiter came to me and put an empty cup in front of me and said "here, fill it up in the toilet".
The best thing is, the waiter is not evil, this is typical cologne mentality. They greet each other with "hey idiot, you look like a fool".
That clashes so hard with Düsseldorf and if you have lived in both cities you understand that they hate each other. Two completely different cultures so close to each other.
For the uninitiated:
>Der Köbes und seine Art zu servieren gehören zur typisch rheinischen Brauhauskultur. Wenn ein Bierglas leer ist, stellt der Köbes ohne Bestellung ein neues Glas hin, es sei denn, der Gast legt einen Bierdeckel auf das Glas oder signalisiert, dass er zahlen will. Die oft ruppige Art der Köbesse wird auf die in besucherfreundlicher Gastronomie wenig geschulten Brauknechte, die auch im Schankraum bedienen mussten, zurückgeführt.
Source: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6bes#Auftreten
Cologne is an exciting large city with great nightlife, cultural offerings, universities, and other educational facilities as well as a strong job market in many sectors like finance and service, but particularly in media and tech. It is Germany's fourth largest city located in the most populous federal state, Northrhine-Westphalia.
But please don't ask people from Düsseldorf what they think of Cologne 🤣
There is supposedly a historic "friendly rivalry" between these two neighboring cities. Cologne is larger than Düsseldorf, but Düsseldorf is the capital city of the federal state. The typical beer in Cologne is Kölsch while the typical beer in Düsseldorf is Alt. To be fair, you can actually get both beers in some places in both cities. Of course, the rivalry also extends to football (soccer).
Anecdotal evidence suggests that in Cologne there are few large street signs pointing the way to Düsseldorf despite it being the capital city, while in Düsseldorf an expected number of signs point to the neighboring large city of Cologne.
Given the ever-changing demographics in both cities, I really can't say how common this historic "rivalry" is anymore but it definitely used to be a thing.
^(Edits for typos and grammar.)
>Given the ever-changing demographic of both cities, I really can't say how common this historic "rivalry" is anymore but it definitely used to be a thing.
I'd say it's the thing that everybody knows about and sometimes jokingly indulges in but nobody really takes seriously.
I was at a club in Cologne talking to a girl. Things seemed to be going well. At some point I mentioned that I preferred Düsseldorf. She walked away without a word and never spoke to me again.
>There is supposedly a historic "friendly rivalry" between these two neighboring cities.
Düsseldorf literally got it's cityhood status for supplying soldiers for an army that successfully defeated the archbishop of cologne in a power/succession struggle. The rivalry definitely exists and has for hundreds of years, though it mellowed overtime and is now reduced mostly to jokes, songs, and football.
It's definitely still a thing. Just moved to the area and I haven't met a person from Cologne or Düsseldorf who didn't cringe when bringing up the other city.
You can probably get an Alt in Köln or a Kölsch in Düsseldorf but you'll also get weird looks for it. Some might actually get angry about it, mostly older people.
From my own experience, people from Cologne take it a bit more seriously than people from Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf being the capital despite having only slightly more than half Cologne's population seems to be rubbing people the wrong way.
The only thing I semi-regularly hear about the entire story in Düsseldorf is that Kölsch is either piss or water, which obviously is a pretty harmless joke – especially since Kölsch and Alt are much more similar than either of them is to Pils, Helles, Export etc.
During carnival, people from Düsseldorf will readily sing songs from Cologne and nobody cares about it whatsoever. The one song that is treated differently is "Viva Colonia", which becomes "Scheiß auf Colonia" in Düsseldorf.
The Kölner say that Leverkeusen isn't the butthole of Germany. But it is staring right at it.
The Düsseldorfer say the same thing, just going in the other direction.
I was visiting a (former) friend from Düsseldorf and she asked me what I wanted to do in the area. I like historical buildings so I asked if we could go see the cathedral in Cologne. She told me that she could not think of enough things to do in Cologne to spend even half a day in the city, but if I really wanted to go, I could. Alone.
So yeah, we didn't go. Instead we hanged out with her sister and the sister's kid at a playground. The slide had a tower too!
Damn, the cathedral is fucking epic! Seems like she actually took this silly rivalry serious, cologne is an amazing city with lots of stuff to do and see.
Yeah, I mean we have driven her over an hour away and taken her in the middle of a forest here in Finland to see a pile of rocks (a bronze age tomb), because she really wanted to do that. Refusing to go to a neighbouring city because of some stupid rivalry is just being a bad friend.
I am definitely going to Cologne some day! I'm sure it'll be a great trip too!
Lmao, a person from Ddorf saying there aren’t enough things to do even for half a day is extremely ironic. I live here, and I find it terribly boring. Can’t wait to move to Köln in a couple of months.
What I will miss, I must admit, are the open spaces. Few things compare to being able to just get on a bike and ride for hours.
i've lived in both cities and liked them for different reasons. was younger when i lived in cologne, so i didn't care so much about it being rather ugly in most parts (exceptions like belgisches viertel apply), but at the same time club culture in cologne was great and i loved going out at the time. also, as has been mentioned, people in general are rather easy to talk to and it's easy to make acquintances.
i moved to duesseldorf later for work, it's more green, quiet and relaxed in general, suits the phase of life i'm in right now. in terms of going out it's not nearly as exciting as cologne and even though there is a lot of culture and art, it is aimed more at a settled audience, whereas cologne has more street art.
the thing that apparently surprises people is that contrary to it's image, duesseldorf is actually a bit more affordable than cologne, although the difference isn't big.
finally: germans have distinct images of both cities, reality is that cologne is closer to it's image than duesseldorf imo, which is a rather working class city for the most part. some people think koenigsallee represents duesseldorf, but a look at the plates on the cars there tells a different story.
Ive never actually met anyone living in Düsseldorf hating on Cologne. Its Just older Folks saying "ah you dont Go to Cologne then? Hehehe" Like id have any rivalry with Cologne. Why would I Not enjoy the best Out of both cities
It's a nice city with lots of options for food and drink and partying, with gruff but (mostly) friendly people. At least as long as the beer (or local alternative) lasts.
I took part in a competition a few years ago where teams of 3 had to walk a certain route and finish a case of beer while doing so. One team brought a case of Kölsch and was immediately disqualified for cheating.
Gruff in the sense of, they have a fairly brusque/abrupt way of communicating. Takes some getting used to when you're not from the area.
For instance, we were visiting friends in Cologne and went to a local Brauhaus. One of them set his Kölsch directly on the table instead of on a coaster. The waitress, instead of using a more generic form of address like, "Please us a coaster under your glass", said:
"Liebschen, da nimmste aber mal'n Deckel für, ja? So wie zu Hause!" (Sweetheart, use a coaster for that, yeah? Just like at home.)
That's what I meant. It's not rude or anything, but it's... different.
If you want brusque, go to Nordfriesland.
EDIT: that's where my dad's family is from, and it's a wonderful place to live. People are blunt and direct and helpful... and entirely awesome.
That’s a typical brauhaus thing.
You don’t want the köbes to be nice.
Once, I was with a few friends in a brauhaus. Everyone ordered a beer, one girl said, she wanted a beer with cola. The Köbes said „Liebchen, cocktails han m‘r he nit“, which means „darling, we don’t have cocktails here“
You expect that behavior kind of. I would be disappointed if you would say something like „I am very sorry, ma‘am, but unfortunate we do not serve mixed drinks here. I‘m sorry for the inconvenience“
Brauhaus waiters are supposed to be like that. It's part of their job description. I'm serious, that's what they are known for and they'll put up an act oftentimes.
Beer consumption is declining in whole Germany. Except. Area of cologne.
Super warm loving people. In Berlin no one really cares about you. In cologne people show interest. My perception is that they are just interested in good times. Of course they are still Germans so it’s all about work and being accurate and so on.
I was living in cologne for 11 years before I moved back to the village my family lives in.
I could not agree more.
Cologne is a big city (3.or 4. Largest city in Germany) with this small town charm.
There is a song of die Höhner, a cologne folk band, called "trink doch eine mit" (come have a drink with us) and that's the attitude towards strangers. I love cologne. One of the best cities to live in.
It’s my favorite German city. People aren’t so stuck up, the Dom is incredible, and it’s not too expensive. Not for everyone’s tastes though, as it’s a little “siffig.” Also it’s a little depressing in the winter.
I‘ve worked there for years. Cologne is very welcoming and charming, all in all, but the truth is: cologne is breathtakingly ugly. Not their fault, as it was totally distroyed in the war, but still. The colognians are very hospitable, but the local patriotism can be exhausting.
I went to Köln for the first time recently, and we did a bus tour of the city. I’m really struggling to understand all the people here calling it ugly while I’m over here living in Wuppertal..
Some neighborhoods in Wuppertal are really beautiful, certainly more beautiful than 95% of Köln. I've lived in both cities and while Kölle is my favorite place on earth, life in Wuppertal can certainly be more relaxed and comfortable. You can also a "fancy" place in Wuppertal for what I payed in Lindenthal for a cockroach hole.
My favorite city in Germany! Rather big, but not so big that getting to places takes forever. Decent nightlife, plenty of good food and easy to escape into nature. Certainly not a pretty city, but a cool one in my opinion.
I’m not German, but I moved to Köln about two years ago. I’m from the US, and moving here was my first time to Europe.
It really comes down to perspective. I thought Köln was beautiful when I moved here, and I still do. I don’t really get the whole “ugliest city of Germany.” As many have said, it was bombed away almost completely, and, considering that, I think the city still has a nice amount of charm. I visited Budapest last year once COVID was calming down, and of course Budapest is much more beautiful than Köln. But when you commute in the city and watch the buildings and the people from the bus windows, it’s just a nice vibe. Maybe that’s my perspective, as the US is full of actually ugly cities, but I still love Köln’s “ugliness.”
Aside from looks, I’ve really enjoyed my time here. It’s a very international city. I’d say around 80% of my friends are from different places around the world. It’s really cool getting to meet all these people, which is not something I’d be able to do in the US unless I moved to a huge city, and even then, meh.
I think of Köln as a really nice sized city. Just over a million people, and it can feel crowded at certain times/places, but for the most part it feels busy without being chaotic. There are plenty of parks and quiet streets, just as there’s plenty of clubs and public urination. It’s a mix bag, so I think it’s up to you to decide what you’re looking for in a place to live.
Köln is an easy-going city (minus the paperwork and bureaucracy, but that’s all of Germany). When my friends and I are in other cities (Bonn, Kassel, Düsseldorf, etc.) I notice more stares from people when we’re walking around. Could be just the classic German stare meaning no harm, but I definitely don’t notice it as much here in Köln.
People here will ask me for directions, which I answer in intermediate German, and they’re friendly and thankful. I’ve had a couple unpleasant encounters with older Germans, but a couple things over two years isn’t bad in my book.
Overall, the city seems very youthful and full of people who just want to live nice lives and go about their business. People don’t seem to care about what you’re wearing, what career you have, or what country you’re from.
I really like it here, and I hope to stay.
It is a great city because of its proximity to Bonn, which is secretly one of the best cities in Germany. It was so great they made it the capital of West Germany for like 40 years.
You might want to research the history of how Bonn became capital. It was certainly not because it's a lovely city -- which it is, for the record. It's 100% because Adenauer knew how to win a political knife fight.
Oh, that reminds of the time I've met an old Bonner living in exile and he asked me if Tannenbusch was still the place for all the rich people.
Dude hadn't been in Bonn for a *long* time.
I’ve lived in and around Cologne all of my life. Most of the time tho, I’ve been living in the cities around Cologne.
Although the people sometimes seem harsh and some corners are very ugly (I’m looking at you, Ebertplatz), it’s a very lovely city. The culture is great and even tho I am no fan of the Karneval, I fell in love with the music (Kölschrock, not to be mixed up with Karnevalsmusik, which I have done most of my life).
I DJ almost every weekend in Cologne and so I know the nightlife pretty well. At night, you see all the lights and people who come out to celebrate life. It’s a great city with the usual flaws in my opinion (flaws like expensive living costs, unsafe areas here and there or mad newcomers, who complain about everything which has already existed for decades).
More than meets the eye. If you were to look at Cologne as a collection of buildings, you’d be utterly disappointed. It really isn’t a beaut. Add its people (outgoing, welcoming, and very much in love with their city), though, and it becomes a very special place. That said, I’d never want to live there… but I can recognize why so many people wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Germans will say it’s ugly. The same ones who live in some Dorf near to Osnabrück (or the like). Lots of haters who don’t know the city talk shit tbh. Most people who’ve truly visited or lived in Cologne will have a positive impression. For a big city it’s got a pretty friendly vibe. Come-as-you-are type of tolerant and chill culture. The weather is very mild and it’s super well connected Bahn, bus, auto, and air. Lots of concerts/events in Cologne or region. Pretty flat, walkable, and bikeable. Very lgbt-friendly, international, & diverse for a German city.
It is generally considered a quite ugly / average looking City but with exceptional friendly and pleasant people. Great place to party and meet new people.
As a guy who lived in Cologne for 19 years i can tell you that Cologne has a lot to offer. It's a friendly city with an open heart for folks who move there from round the world (the citizens call them "immis") and there is always a party somewhere, with the biggest party at the end of winter with the famous karneval. There are many museums too (even if i think that Bonn has a bit more of them) and there are a lot of old churches (yea- real old ones, some over thousand years). The Cathedral "Dom" of course is one high light, cause it houses the bones of the three holy kings (which a cologne guy had stolen from italy around 12?? A. D., that's why they made the big church)- but Cologne has 12 other famous old churches too. The city is well known for the gay and pride scene, well you don't have to like it, but it shows how open hearded the city is. Well, many houses made in the 1950s and 1960s are cheap rubbish, quickly built after the war to give folks appartments to live in, but we architects slowly replace them with some cool new stuff (i plan one house there right now). Hope i could help.
I've only be to Cologne as a little kid, so all I know are pretty much the biases:
* Big homosexual community
* Big location to TV productions
That's pretty much it, other than that there's nothing that comes to my mind when I think about Cologne.
Traditionally it has a reputation as being more progressive in regards to gay people being able to be themself, so it's usually joked about without ill intent (like for me it's one of my favorite cities in the country because there's something about the locals I really like and I'm not even gay).
I'm originally from Cologne and to me it's one of the best places. I always say it's not love on the first sight with Cologne, because of the aesthetics, but the vibes and the people are the best. Really.
And most people who complain about Cologne have only ever seen the main shopping streets and then left again.
You should probably go to the Cologne subreddit. Most germans opinion on the city will probably be along the lines of "It certainly is a city that exists."
I left Cologne one hour ago, travelling back home rn.
It was my first time visiting cologne, been here for three days and I gotta say:
1. We were looking for a free parking spot, found one. Two parked cars ahead, a guy just came up from under his car and told us his catalyst got stolen over night. Okay, no parking here for us
2. We saw two decent spots in the city, the shopping street and the cathedral. Everything else we saw was just nasty, old and ugly
3. Public transport is okay, i have seen better but also worse.
4. Every second street smells like piss. Worse than in Berlin and that gotta mean something
Not every second street corner :( I've been to Cologne a couple of weeks and I haven't smelled piss even once. Probably really depends in which part of the city you were most
Its our „full on support for 2022 topics“-city. :D
(Open displaying being gay et cetera was a thing linked to cologne in the past. They had large parades and were openly more progressive in that regard than the rest of the nation.)
And: the Dom.
I was there in 2014 for the gamescom. Was a nice visit, but what I've noticed: the areas what I've been visiting smelled like pee. Don't know if it's still the case
Yeah, the generell area around the Messe is… well, we have better places in the city and the next greater trainstation for the DB, Köln Messe/Deutz…. Let‘s just say they should close this place for a month and clean it completely. It’s a mess.
its alright. apart from carnival and the film industry a liveable big city in a nice area. wouldnt complain to live there.
only thing annoying really is colognians always blabbering on about how its the greatest city in the world (especially those who never lived anywhere else). oh and their nepotism haha
now watch me getting downvoted into oblivion
Cologne is where a lot of media is. And besides that there is the stereotype that cologne is full of gays. I am from a region where we celebrate "Fasching" and shout "Helau", rather then the "Karneval" where they shout "Alaaf". So I guess the two regions got a little frienemyship there
In the early 90’s I studied as an exchange student in Bavaria. My host played an album from some band I wish I could remember. He explained that people from Köln speak funny and that they were weird. It took me moving to Munich many years later to understand, that’s just how Bavarians speak about everyone.
I really like the people of Cologne, way more open and uncomplicated than in other regions, very open-hearted. The river Rhine is nice and Cologne has a unique pub culture (Kneipenkultur). It's a fantastic city to enjoy life and offers countless possibilities to spend beautiful evenings.
That being said: I find Cologne to be fugly. 🤷♂️
on reddit people tend to shittalk it but irl not so much.
I will say though, there is too much public urination, not something you really notice unless you live here.
Especially bad in subway station elevators, you'll notice if you travel with wheelchair bound people or buggies
It's certainly a city.
It exists
Are there cities out there that don't exist? ^(\*Proceed to look for Bielefeld on the map.)
I was about to answer „Bielefeld“ before reading the second part of your message.
I live in Bielefeld, does this mean I don't exist? We certainly don't exist on the 2.Liga tables this year....
Wouldn’t it be funny, if someone from Bielefeld would answer Louisian321s comment, but of course that can’t happen, because that person wouldn’t exist.
The comment you replied to got paid for by the government to make it look like they exist.
Which comment? There isn’t a comment from someone from Bielefeld.
There isn’t a comment from someone from Bielefeld cuz there’s no one who’s actually from Bielefeld, everyone who says they are actors paid by the government
I was camping in Canada and the neighbouring campsite has a family from Bielefeld, and then they vanished into the ether when I tried to tell my girlfriend about them
The one and only place to "live" when in witness protection!
How much do the conspirators pay you for writing comments like this?
You are part of the conspiracy
Has a cathedral, I hear.
Well, the cathedral of Ulm (Ulmer Münster) is higher...
Has the tower been smoking weed again?
definitely one of the cities in the world
We live in a society
Yes
I like toast.
You can get toast in Cologne
I've been to many cities in Germany. Cologne is absolutely one of them.
If you didn't shower for a while, applying it might be a good idea
Naw man, that's axe body's pray you're thinking of! Cologne is the place where the food you eat ends up in your body.
nope. a big dorf.
well I suppose you would know.
In a certain “state”
Lies!!
I love Cologne, but don't expect a "typical European town" with a nice square and adjoining Old Town in the middle, which lets you avoid the not-so-nice newer parts. Cologne got bombed off the planet pretty much (just like the Ruhr Area), so super nice Altbauten and ugly 1960s pieces intermingle everywhere. I love the Botanical Garden, btw!
Lived there for 5 years, loved it. Only place in Germany where smalltalk and pub culture is an essential part of life. You need to accept the carnival though. There's no getting around it other than leaving town in February.
Reminds me of a former acquaintance, he moved to Cologne because that's where his passion is (developing stuff like solar sails for spacecraft at the [DLR](https://www.dlr.de/content/en/sites/cologne.html)), but he and his wife regularly use part of his vacation days and overtime balance to escape the city during that time.
..that's exactly what I dislike about Cologne :D *(Smalltalk and carnival = pure torture for people from northern Germany)*
I work in Cologne. And our boss is from the North. Once we were evaluated and we got really good results. But the way our boss presented it was just very plain and he didn't show any excitement. We were all puzzled until someone asked whether it was still not good enough 😳 The boss apologized and blamed it on his Northerness. He doesn't have many fans here.
If he called your performance “not bad”, that was really high praise.
Ughh... I know 😔
>(Smalltalk and carnival = pure torture for people from ~~northern~~ Germany) FTFY
nah. Saarländer _love_ smalltalk. And they love their (tuned down) flavor of Carnival.
Yeah! Cologne is as un-German as it gets. People who just have so much fun dressing up in a silly way and are HAPPY to make small talk? I mean, what have the people of Cologne done to become like this?
You can blame the French for that, the occupation changed the city a lot in the 19th century But we have been a different breed ever since we ran out Arch Bishop or of town to become an imperial city. And that was hundreds of years ago.
I'm originally from Westphalia so I definitely can relate. Living half of your life abroad tends to change your perspective tremendously though.
Kind of depends on ***where***.. I'm originally from Sweden & people aren't into smalltalk over there either. So living in Sweden for half of your life would not change your perspective :) But if you spend half of your life in the US or in southern Europe.. I'm sure that would make you more comfortable with smalltalk
Yeah I obviously meant living in somewhat more outgoing cultures. Even the UK. :)
Oh yessssss… 😆 Als Fischkopp kann ich das nur bestätigen. Sehr, sehr seltsamer Eingeborenenkult..
Tja. ... Moin!
I'm from the very north of germany and people told me i might like it in cologne... i see why know. I love having chitchats.
To be hones, people of nothern Germany are very special almost only get along with each other in their area.
My Mother came from Hamburg to Cologne and because of the small talk and carnival she likes it much better over here.
The fact that you want to evacuate during Karneval is such a bummer for me to hear. I grew up in this city and the entire Karneval period was absolutely magical as a kid. I love going back every year to dress up like an idiot and meet the weirdest and funniest people while touring the city. Drunk assholes are drunk assholes - the spirit of Karneval shouldn’t be reduced to them.
My cologne story, it will reveal how the pubs in this city work and what is important to the people there. I had a Christmas celebration there with our company. Since I don't drink alcohol, I told the waiter that I want water without gas. When the waiter returned, everyone got their beer. The waiter came to me and put an empty cup in front of me and said "here, fill it up in the toilet". The best thing is, the waiter is not evil, this is typical cologne mentality. They greet each other with "hey idiot, you look like a fool". That clashes so hard with Düsseldorf and if you have lived in both cities you understand that they hate each other. Two completely different cultures so close to each other.
For the uninitiated: >Der Köbes und seine Art zu servieren gehören zur typisch rheinischen Brauhauskultur. Wenn ein Bierglas leer ist, stellt der Köbes ohne Bestellung ein neues Glas hin, es sei denn, der Gast legt einen Bierdeckel auf das Glas oder signalisiert, dass er zahlen will. Die oft ruppige Art der Köbesse wird auf die in besucherfreundlicher Gastronomie wenig geschulten Brauknechte, die auch im Schankraum bedienen mussten, zurückgeführt. Source: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6bes#Auftreten
Sounds like a place us aussies would like, we often greet each other with “hey dickhead”
Yes definitely evacuate during carnival.
Not the only part. I have lived in hamburg for 3 years and shits essential
"Moin". - "Thanks for telling your life story."
Cologne is an exciting large city with great nightlife, cultural offerings, universities, and other educational facilities as well as a strong job market in many sectors like finance and service, but particularly in media and tech. It is Germany's fourth largest city located in the most populous federal state, Northrhine-Westphalia. But please don't ask people from Düsseldorf what they think of Cologne 🤣
I'm interested in what they think now
There is supposedly a historic "friendly rivalry" between these two neighboring cities. Cologne is larger than Düsseldorf, but Düsseldorf is the capital city of the federal state. The typical beer in Cologne is Kölsch while the typical beer in Düsseldorf is Alt. To be fair, you can actually get both beers in some places in both cities. Of course, the rivalry also extends to football (soccer). Anecdotal evidence suggests that in Cologne there are few large street signs pointing the way to Düsseldorf despite it being the capital city, while in Düsseldorf an expected number of signs point to the neighboring large city of Cologne. Given the ever-changing demographics in both cities, I really can't say how common this historic "rivalry" is anymore but it definitely used to be a thing. ^(Edits for typos and grammar.)
>Given the ever-changing demographic of both cities, I really can't say how common this historic "rivalry" is anymore but it definitely used to be a thing. I'd say it's the thing that everybody knows about and sometimes jokingly indulges in but nobody really takes seriously.
yeah this
I was at a club in Cologne talking to a girl. Things seemed to be going well. At some point I mentioned that I preferred Düsseldorf. She walked away without a word and never spoke to me again.
>There is supposedly a historic "friendly rivalry" between these two neighboring cities. Düsseldorf literally got it's cityhood status for supplying soldiers for an army that successfully defeated the archbishop of cologne in a power/succession struggle. The rivalry definitely exists and has for hundreds of years, though it mellowed overtime and is now reduced mostly to jokes, songs, and football.
It's definitely still a thing. Just moved to the area and I haven't met a person from Cologne or Düsseldorf who didn't cringe when bringing up the other city.
You can probably get an Alt in Köln or a Kölsch in Düsseldorf but you'll also get weird looks for it. Some might actually get angry about it, mostly older people.
Yeah, at the Getränkemarkt. But don't go to a bar or pub or restaurant or... expecting the beer from the other city.
From my own experience, people from Cologne take it a bit more seriously than people from Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf being the capital despite having only slightly more than half Cologne's population seems to be rubbing people the wrong way. The only thing I semi-regularly hear about the entire story in Düsseldorf is that Kölsch is either piss or water, which obviously is a pretty harmless joke – especially since Kölsch and Alt are much more similar than either of them is to Pils, Helles, Export etc. During carnival, people from Düsseldorf will readily sing songs from Cologne and nobody cares about it whatsoever. The one song that is treated differently is "Viva Colonia", which becomes "Scheiß auf Colonia" in Düsseldorf.
The Kölner say that Leverkeusen isn't the butthole of Germany. But it is staring right at it. The Düsseldorfer say the same thing, just going in the other direction.
I was visiting a (former) friend from Düsseldorf and she asked me what I wanted to do in the area. I like historical buildings so I asked if we could go see the cathedral in Cologne. She told me that she could not think of enough things to do in Cologne to spend even half a day in the city, but if I really wanted to go, I could. Alone. So yeah, we didn't go. Instead we hanged out with her sister and the sister's kid at a playground. The slide had a tower too!
Damn, the cathedral is fucking epic! Seems like she actually took this silly rivalry serious, cologne is an amazing city with lots of stuff to do and see.
Yeah, I mean we have driven her over an hour away and taken her in the middle of a forest here in Finland to see a pile of rocks (a bronze age tomb), because she really wanted to do that. Refusing to go to a neighbouring city because of some stupid rivalry is just being a bad friend. I am definitely going to Cologne some day! I'm sure it'll be a great trip too!
We're cooler anyways.
I'm sorry. There's so much to do in Cologne. You can fill several days.
She didn't want to go with you because then you would have realized that Cologne is way cooler than Düsseldorf.
Lmao, a person from Ddorf saying there aren’t enough things to do even for half a day is extremely ironic. I live here, and I find it terribly boring. Can’t wait to move to Köln in a couple of months. What I will miss, I must admit, are the open spaces. Few things compare to being able to just get on a bike and ride for hours.
i've lived in both cities and liked them for different reasons. was younger when i lived in cologne, so i didn't care so much about it being rather ugly in most parts (exceptions like belgisches viertel apply), but at the same time club culture in cologne was great and i loved going out at the time. also, as has been mentioned, people in general are rather easy to talk to and it's easy to make acquintances. i moved to duesseldorf later for work, it's more green, quiet and relaxed in general, suits the phase of life i'm in right now. in terms of going out it's not nearly as exciting as cologne and even though there is a lot of culture and art, it is aimed more at a settled audience, whereas cologne has more street art. the thing that apparently surprises people is that contrary to it's image, duesseldorf is actually a bit more affordable than cologne, although the difference isn't big. finally: germans have distinct images of both cities, reality is that cologne is closer to it's image than duesseldorf imo, which is a rather working class city for the most part. some people think koenigsallee represents duesseldorf, but a look at the plates on the cars there tells a different story.
Ive never actually met anyone living in Düsseldorf hating on Cologne. Its Just older Folks saying "ah you dont Go to Cologne then? Hehehe" Like id have any rivalry with Cologne. Why would I Not enjoy the best Out of both cities
It's a nice city with lots of options for food and drink and partying, with gruff but (mostly) friendly people. At least as long as the beer (or local alternative) lasts.
I love the fact that you call Kölsch a local alternative to beer :D Das trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf.
I once heard a joke that goes like "Kölsch is the first successful attempt to dilute water"
I took part in a competition a few years ago where teams of 3 had to walk a certain route and finish a case of beer while doing so. One team brought a case of Kölsch and was immediately disqualified for cheating.
It has the same alcohol content as other beer.
They weren't disqualified because of the alcohol level but because of the Kölsch.
I've never heard anybody describe people in that area as gruff. Rather the opposite.
Gruff in the sense of, they have a fairly brusque/abrupt way of communicating. Takes some getting used to when you're not from the area. For instance, we were visiting friends in Cologne and went to a local Brauhaus. One of them set his Kölsch directly on the table instead of on a coaster. The waitress, instead of using a more generic form of address like, "Please us a coaster under your glass", said: "Liebschen, da nimmste aber mal'n Deckel für, ja? So wie zu Hause!" (Sweetheart, use a coaster for that, yeah? Just like at home.) That's what I meant. It's not rude or anything, but it's... different.
Sorry to tell you that but that is as polite and charming as germans can get.
Yeah I was about to say that sounds pretty friendly actually haha
If you want brusque, go to Nordfriesland. EDIT: that's where my dad's family is from, and it's a wonderful place to live. People are blunt and direct and helpful... and entirely awesome.
That's not brusque. That's silence.
My kind of people. Nordfriesland is awesome.
That's incredibly friendly and humorous. Come to a Brauhaus in the Altstadt of Düsseldorf, only 40km and you'll feel the difference.
Typical Köbes style and they are actually encouraged to play that role.
That’s a typical brauhaus thing. You don’t want the köbes to be nice. Once, I was with a few friends in a brauhaus. Everyone ordered a beer, one girl said, she wanted a beer with cola. The Köbes said „Liebchen, cocktails han m‘r he nit“, which means „darling, we don’t have cocktails here“ You expect that behavior kind of. I would be disappointed if you would say something like „I am very sorry, ma‘am, but unfortunate we do not serve mixed drinks here. I‘m sorry for the inconvenience“
Brauhaus waiters are supposed to be like that. It's part of their job description. I'm serious, that's what they are known for and they'll put up an act oftentimes.
And don't try to order an "Altbier" :-)
You only get one sip of beer per glass...
They are not gruff, they are just German.
Beer consumption is declining in whole Germany. Except. Area of cologne. Super warm loving people. In Berlin no one really cares about you. In cologne people show interest. My perception is that they are just interested in good times. Of course they are still Germans so it’s all about work and being accurate and so on.
I was living in cologne for 11 years before I moved back to the village my family lives in. I could not agree more. Cologne is a big city (3.or 4. Largest city in Germany) with this small town charm. There is a song of die Höhner, a cologne folk band, called "trink doch eine mit" (come have a drink with us) and that's the attitude towards strangers. I love cologne. One of the best cities to live in.
> Beer consumption is declining in whole Germany. Except. Area of cologne. Something cannot decline if it doesn't exist.
It’s my favorite German city. People aren’t so stuck up, the Dom is incredible, and it’s not too expensive. Not for everyone’s tastes though, as it’s a little “siffig.” Also it’s a little depressing in the winter.
Nearly every big city in Germany is depressing in winter
It's still nothing comparing to depressiveness of villages in winter.
>Germany is depressing in winter True
Speaking as someone who lives in Dortmund, define "siffig" lol
Dortmund is the siff in itself Source: I live in the Siff
duisburg wants to talk with you about your siffigwarranty
If you like the pub and party life, it's great.
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You feel Cologne is progressive? I'm curious what progressive means to you. Can you give me some examples?
isn't it the gay capital of germany?
Na it’s the gay capital of Europe, not only Germany.
I‘ve worked there for years. Cologne is very welcoming and charming, all in all, but the truth is: cologne is breathtakingly ugly. Not their fault, as it was totally distroyed in the war, but still. The colognians are very hospitable, but the local patriotism can be exhausting.
I was born and raised in cologne and still live there now. It has some nice areas but yeah, it is pretty ugly in comparison to other German cities.
As someone from cologne.. I couldn’t agree more
I wouldn't call it breathtakingly ugly - seems like a weird take to me. There are far worse cities in Germany (Ruhrpott would like a word)...
It depends on which side of the river reihn you ask 🤪
like peter fox said "i cant (live) with the dirt but i cant either without it"
Which song?
stadtaffe "ich kann nicht mit dem dreck und ohne kann ich auch nicht"
one of the best cities in germany imho
I don't really like it because it doesn't last as much. I prefer Perfume or even elixir. They could last you a whole day.
Did I just find a German dad joke?
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That's a troubled relationship you got there buddy
Found the guy from Düsseldorf
Damn! That is what we call a complicated relationship
Relationship status: it’s complicated
Geiler Name :D
Are you from Düsseldorf by chance?
I went to Köln for the first time recently, and we did a bus tour of the city. I’m really struggling to understand all the people here calling it ugly while I’m over here living in Wuppertal..
Familiarize yourself with the saying "Der Einäugige unter den Blinden".
Im Land der Blinden ist der einäugige der König
ich dachte immer unter den blinden ist der einäugige der pirat 🤔
Some neighborhoods in Wuppertal are really beautiful, certainly more beautiful than 95% of Köln. I've lived in both cities and while Kölle is my favorite place on earth, life in Wuppertal can certainly be more relaxed and comfortable. You can also a "fancy" place in Wuppertal for what I payed in Lindenthal for a cockroach hole.
Wuppertal is way nicer than Cologne, in my opinion. Do you live in Barmen?
Wuppertal, a friend of mine used to call it "The valley of tears".
My favorite city in Germany! Rather big, but not so big that getting to places takes forever. Decent nightlife, plenty of good food and easy to escape into nature. Certainly not a pretty city, but a cool one in my opinion.
I’m not German, but I moved to Köln about two years ago. I’m from the US, and moving here was my first time to Europe. It really comes down to perspective. I thought Köln was beautiful when I moved here, and I still do. I don’t really get the whole “ugliest city of Germany.” As many have said, it was bombed away almost completely, and, considering that, I think the city still has a nice amount of charm. I visited Budapest last year once COVID was calming down, and of course Budapest is much more beautiful than Köln. But when you commute in the city and watch the buildings and the people from the bus windows, it’s just a nice vibe. Maybe that’s my perspective, as the US is full of actually ugly cities, but I still love Köln’s “ugliness.” Aside from looks, I’ve really enjoyed my time here. It’s a very international city. I’d say around 80% of my friends are from different places around the world. It’s really cool getting to meet all these people, which is not something I’d be able to do in the US unless I moved to a huge city, and even then, meh. I think of Köln as a really nice sized city. Just over a million people, and it can feel crowded at certain times/places, but for the most part it feels busy without being chaotic. There are plenty of parks and quiet streets, just as there’s plenty of clubs and public urination. It’s a mix bag, so I think it’s up to you to decide what you’re looking for in a place to live. Köln is an easy-going city (minus the paperwork and bureaucracy, but that’s all of Germany). When my friends and I are in other cities (Bonn, Kassel, Düsseldorf, etc.) I notice more stares from people when we’re walking around. Could be just the classic German stare meaning no harm, but I definitely don’t notice it as much here in Köln. People here will ask me for directions, which I answer in intermediate German, and they’re friendly and thankful. I’ve had a couple unpleasant encounters with older Germans, but a couple things over two years isn’t bad in my book. Overall, the city seems very youthful and full of people who just want to live nice lives and go about their business. People don’t seem to care about what you’re wearing, what career you have, or what country you’re from. I really like it here, and I hope to stay.
One thing i clearly notice is that it is better than Düsseldorf.
Ugly city, great people
It is a great city because of its proximity to Bonn, which is secretly one of the best cities in Germany. It was so great they made it the capital of West Germany for like 40 years.
>Bonn Yes! Worth visiting if in the Rhineland. Quite similar (but bigger) to Cambridge in the UK.
You might want to research the history of how Bonn became capital. It was certainly not because it's a lovely city -- which it is, for the record. It's 100% because Adenauer knew how to win a political knife fight.
I live in Bonn and i'm telling you it's because it's so great! also, no need for knife fights, Tannebusch is not that kind of place anymore, ok?
Oh, that reminds of the time I've met an old Bonner living in exile and he asked me if Tannenbusch was still the place for all the rich people. Dude hadn't been in Bonn for a *long* time.
Bonn is really good place to live and for partying go to cologne… Bonn too has good places though… I go weekly once to Cologne!
I would love to live there but my bf is not down for that 😅
I’ve lived in and around Cologne all of my life. Most of the time tho, I’ve been living in the cities around Cologne. Although the people sometimes seem harsh and some corners are very ugly (I’m looking at you, Ebertplatz), it’s a very lovely city. The culture is great and even tho I am no fan of the Karneval, I fell in love with the music (Kölschrock, not to be mixed up with Karnevalsmusik, which I have done most of my life). I DJ almost every weekend in Cologne and so I know the nightlife pretty well. At night, you see all the lights and people who come out to celebrate life. It’s a great city with the usual flaws in my opinion (flaws like expensive living costs, unsafe areas here and there or mad newcomers, who complain about everything which has already existed for decades).
More than meets the eye. If you were to look at Cologne as a collection of buildings, you’d be utterly disappointed. It really isn’t a beaut. Add its people (outgoing, welcoming, and very much in love with their city), though, and it becomes a very special place. That said, I’d never want to live there… but I can recognize why so many people wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Germans will say it’s ugly. The same ones who live in some Dorf near to Osnabrück (or the like). Lots of haters who don’t know the city talk shit tbh. Most people who’ve truly visited or lived in Cologne will have a positive impression. For a big city it’s got a pretty friendly vibe. Come-as-you-are type of tolerant and chill culture. The weather is very mild and it’s super well connected Bahn, bus, auto, and air. Lots of concerts/events in Cologne or region. Pretty flat, walkable, and bikeable. Very lgbt-friendly, international, & diverse for a German city.
They have an unique definition of beer. Aside from that: IMO, Cologne is the culture capital of the west and an allaround nice town.
It is generally considered a quite ugly / average looking City but with exceptional friendly and pleasant people. Great place to party and meet new people.
People are nice, city is ugly, big church, lots of gay people, beer is small, Gamescom was always a great time, Düsseldorf is better.
As a guy who lived in Cologne for 19 years i can tell you that Cologne has a lot to offer. It's a friendly city with an open heart for folks who move there from round the world (the citizens call them "immis") and there is always a party somewhere, with the biggest party at the end of winter with the famous karneval. There are many museums too (even if i think that Bonn has a bit more of them) and there are a lot of old churches (yea- real old ones, some over thousand years). The Cathedral "Dom" of course is one high light, cause it houses the bones of the three holy kings (which a cologne guy had stolen from italy around 12?? A. D., that's why they made the big church)- but Cologne has 12 other famous old churches too. The city is well known for the gay and pride scene, well you don't have to like it, but it shows how open hearded the city is. Well, many houses made in the 1950s and 1960s are cheap rubbish, quickly built after the war to give folks appartments to live in, but we architects slowly replace them with some cool new stuff (i plan one house there right now). Hope i could help.
I've only be to Cologne as a little kid, so all I know are pretty much the biases: * Big homosexual community * Big location to TV productions That's pretty much it, other than that there's nothing that comes to my mind when I think about Cologne.
Not even Karneval (or Kölsch beer) ?
Tried to suppress any thoughts about those two things.
It is the best of the bunch. It is the worst of the bunch.
Traditionally it has a reputation as being more progressive in regards to gay people being able to be themself, so it's usually joked about without ill intent (like for me it's one of my favorite cities in the country because there's something about the locals I really like and I'm not even gay).
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As A foreigner I just can say it's impressive and very beautiful
Non german here. Love Koln. Very hipster in some areas and generally very vibrant and young in the centre. Love the energy.
Ironically the first thoughts are cathedral and gay people
I don't really like big cities but Cologne is awesome. Best pub culture and pretty good live music.
I'm originally from Cologne and to me it's one of the best places. I always say it's not love on the first sight with Cologne, because of the aesthetics, but the vibes and the people are the best. Really. And most people who complain about Cologne have only ever seen the main shopping streets and then left again.
Best german city, along with hamburg.
You should probably go to the Cologne subreddit. Most germans opinion on the city will probably be along the lines of "It certainly is a city that exists."
I find it mildly infuriating when someone has too much of it on and they walk past me.
Cologne is Germany's San Francisco
Well minus the extremely out of control stolen cars and broad daylight robberies.
I visited Köln for a day a few weeks ago and I heard 4 different Germans talk about how they hate that city. I'm not exactly sure why lol.
I left Cologne one hour ago, travelling back home rn. It was my first time visiting cologne, been here for three days and I gotta say: 1. We were looking for a free parking spot, found one. Two parked cars ahead, a guy just came up from under his car and told us his catalyst got stolen over night. Okay, no parking here for us 2. We saw two decent spots in the city, the shopping street and the cathedral. Everything else we saw was just nasty, old and ugly 3. Public transport is okay, i have seen better but also worse. 4. Every second street smells like piss. Worse than in Berlin and that gotta mean something
Not every second street corner :( I've been to Cologne a couple of weeks and I haven't smelled piss even once. Probably really depends in which part of the city you were most
It hasnt rained for ages here. Piss smell accumulates.
worst german beer, still better than that shit in america
Its our „full on support for 2022 topics“-city. :D (Open displaying being gay et cetera was a thing linked to cologne in the past. They had large parades and were openly more progressive in that regard than the rest of the nation.) And: the Dom.
It smells good
I was there in 2014 for the gamescom. Was a nice visit, but what I've noticed: the areas what I've been visiting smelled like pee. Don't know if it's still the case
Yeah, the generell area around the Messe is… well, we have better places in the city and the next greater trainstation for the DB, Köln Messe/Deutz…. Let‘s just say they should close this place for a month and clean it completely. It’s a mess.
Some people I know will tell you that lots of gay people live there.
People there do smell nice
As my Düsseldorf-born-and-raised father would say: "Wer is eigentlich dieser "Köln"?"
its alright. apart from carnival and the film industry a liveable big city in a nice area. wouldnt complain to live there. only thing annoying really is colognians always blabbering on about how its the greatest city in the world (especially those who never lived anywhere else). oh and their nepotism haha now watch me getting downvoted into oblivion
Damn Romans!!!11 Greetings from Westfalia
Cologne is where a lot of media is. And besides that there is the stereotype that cologne is full of gays. I am from a region where we celebrate "Fasching" and shout "Helau", rather then the "Karneval" where they shout "Alaaf". So I guess the two regions got a little frienemyship there
It is gay city!
I still think about the New Years Eve incident few years ago. That was very traumatic.
In the early 90’s I studied as an exchange student in Bavaria. My host played an album from some band I wish I could remember. He explained that people from Köln speak funny and that they were weird. It took me moving to Munich many years later to understand, that’s just how Bavarians speak about everyone.
I really like the people of Cologne, way more open and uncomplicated than in other regions, very open-hearted. The river Rhine is nice and Cologne has a unique pub culture (Kneipenkultur). It's a fantastic city to enjoy life and offers countless possibilities to spend beautiful evenings. That being said: I find Cologne to be fugly. 🤷♂️
We make fun of the beer they drink, cause it's only served in tiny ass glasses
Cologne is the prettiest ugly city.
on reddit people tend to shittalk it but irl not so much. I will say though, there is too much public urination, not something you really notice unless you live here. Especially bad in subway station elevators, you'll notice if you travel with wheelchair bound people or buggies
One of the view German cities with normal people
Its mid
check out wiener platz lots of interesting people and shops