Crossing the Rhine in an easterly direction is not something people from the left bank of the river do very often. The first neighbourhood you come to there is Deutz, which is officially part of the city centre as well as being home to a number of council offices, the massive LANXESS arena concert and sports venue and Cologne’s international trade fair centre. People tend only to carry on eastwards to Kalk when they’re leaving the city.
From a centre of industry to a hotspot of creativity
If, however, you’re looking for less well-trodden areas on your trip to Cologne, a visit to Kalk (just after Deutz) will reveal a neighbourhood that was originally known only as a small place of pilgrimage outside the boundaries of the city. In the 19th century, it rapidly developed into a hub of industrialisation – in fact, this is where the story of the petrol engine began. Today’s visitors will find a lively district that’s benefited both from its working-class past and from immigration, structural transition and a progressive subculture.
You can still see the abandoned industrial sites and derelict factories major manufacturers left behind when they made their exit. En route from Deutz to Kalk, there are lots of places where those ruins have been replaced by new buildings or repurposed, especially around the outskirts of Kalk. They include the city’s police headquarters, a massive DIY store and MUSIC STORE.
From here, it’s just a few metres’ walk to the foot of a slag heap known as Kalkberg (literally “Kalk mountain”). It’s located right next to the motorway leading across Zoobrücke bridge to the centre of town. An integral part of the local cityscape, Kalkberg grew from the waste produced by nearby factories such as Chemische Fabrik Kalk. For years, local organisations have been campaigning to have the wasteland on top of the “mountain” turned into a public park. Plans to build an emergency services helipad, complete with crew facilities, fell through. The ground beneath the heap turned out not to be stable enough.
Kalk – where yesterday’s workplaces are today’s playgrounds
Other parts of the neighbourhood give a clearer sense of the potential that lies in the local industrial heritage. One example is Abentuerhallen Kalk, which draws skaters, BMXers and climbing fans from across the city and uses buildings in what used to be an industrial estate further east, south of Kalker Hauptstraße. Other buildings are still empty and local civil society organisations are working with the council to find ways to use them. But thanks to the urban gardeners from Pflanzstelle, life has been blooming here for years. From here, it’s a good idea to meander back through Kalk towards the city centre.
Between the factory grounds, which now go by the name of Hallen Kalk, and the hustle and bustle of the main road, Kalker Hauptstraße, lies punk joint Trash-Chic (Wiersbergstraße 31). In the owners’ words, it’s been located “in Cologne’s loveliest neighbourhood since 2003”. Other points in its favour are the vegan menu and the “schnaps lottery”.
Wide variety of cuisines
Kalker Hauptstraße itself is a reflection of how deeply rooted the families of the 1960s’ and 1970s’ immigrants are in Cologne. Turkish cuisine stands alongside Arabic restaurants, bakeries and Italian tratttorias. The culinary mark left behind by migrant workers is there for all your senses to behold. This is the place to grab a mid-morning serving of menemem, a Turkish dish combining tomatoes, peppers and egg, at Simitzade (Kalker Haupt Str. 139 ) or dive into the lavish breakfast buffet and enjoy a strong cup of çay at Petek Pastanesi (Kalker Hauptstraße 161).
Cake lovers won’t want to miss Café Rotkelchen (Breuerstraße 10). The owners do all the baking themselves for their four shops in Cologne. If you want something more filling (and more of an evening dining experience), Kalk has you covered too with restaurants like Blauer König. Situated at Markt 24, north of Kalker Hauptstraße, it’s made a name for itself far beyond the district’s borders. Tarte flambée, ravioli, duck breast salad or rump steak – from simple to sophisticated, this place is bound to have something for everyone. Just around the corner at Sünner Brauwelt (Kalker Hauptstraße 260/262), the spotlight is on the top-fermented beer that comes from this neighbourhood. The Sünner brewery now belongs to the Malzmühle brewery, which is why both firms’ products, now including a number of non-alcoholic soft drinks and beers, can be found on the drinks list. This is a good place to start if you’re looking to explore the complex world of kölsch breweries. Even more so if you’re a fan of hearty brewery-style cuisine.
Tracing the history of the Cold War
Visiting the nuclear bunker, built at the Kalk-Post underground station during the Cold War, takes a bit of planning. A volunteer group organises tours of the space that was intended to provide shelter for ten days to two weeks in the event of a nuclear attack that luckily never happened. It was designed as part of a larger bunker complex and would have been sealed off by thick steel doors.
Right next to the exit of the underground station, which takes on a dystopian air once you know about the bunker, is the entrance to Köln-Arkaden, a shopping mall that’s busy all day long. Behind it is the equally popular Bürgerpark Kalk – one of the rare green spaces in the neighbourhood. It’s a good spot for a rest before we make our way back to the left bank. There are two routes you could take: either via Deutz and by tram across Deutzer Brücke bridge towards Neumarkt or to Messe/Deutz station and then by train across Hohenzollernbrücke bridge to Cologne’s central station.
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