Very few cities boast as diverse an artistic and cultural scene as Cologne.
Every year, millions of visitors flock to more than 40 museums, a number of them
rated world-leading. Picking out just a handful, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum's
Corboud collection incorporates paintings, sculptures and graphics from medieval
times to the present.
The Ludwig museum houses art of the 20th and 21st century, including the
world's second-largest Picasso collection. The Romano-German museum displays
artefacts from prehistoric times to the early Middle Ages, while the Schn¨¹tgen
Museum shows sacred and secular treasures from the time of Charlemagne through
to the rococo.
Many of the treasures in Cologne's museums have been donated by private
individuals, testimony to a long tradition of active citizenship.
Cologne Opera House:The modern Opera House stages both
classical and contemporary
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Cologne, city of music
Cologne occupies an important place in the musical world. The Philharmonic
Orchestra performs an internationally recognised programme, while two other
world-renowned orchestras, the G¨¹rzenich and WDR Sinfonia, are also based here.
The Music Academy nurtures young musicians from all over the world, while the
pop and rock scene is one of Germanys most intriguing and innovative.
Cologne, city of sport
Sports students from all over the globe study at the German Sports
University, while the Coaching Academy nurtures German football's elite coaching
staff.
The German Sport and Olympics Museum exhibits significant objects from the
history of sport, and the Federal Institute for Sport Science is a fulcrum of
scientific endeavour.
The city boasts more than 30 teams in the highest league operated by their
individual sports, but "sport for all" is well catered for too, thanks to a
solid infrastructure featuring 860 sports clubs with 195,000 active
participants.
The city is one of Germany's most passionate football towns, and Bundesliga
outfit 1. FC K?ln regularly play to capacity crowds. Hockey, handball,
horse racing, basketball, ice hockey, American football, marathon running,
rowing, cycling, and swimming represent just a selection of the sports practised
in the town, which offers one of the widest-ranging programmes in Germany.
The burghers of Cologne make good spectators too, flocking to imposing
facilities such as the indoor Cologne Arena or the new RhineEnergie stadium.
Cosmopolitan melting pot
Cologne is a truly diverse conurbation inhabited by citizens drawn from more
than 180 nations. "Live and let live" is the city's motto, and Cologne is indeed
a famously tolerant place. Diversity, openness, inclusiveness and a sense of
community are alive and well here, in this future-oriented city with a
foundation fashioned over centuries.
