Never danced the night away at a scrapyard? Still need a few design classics for your home? Looking for photos of some truly out-of-the-ordinary places for your Insta feed? Then read on!
Schrotty club and cultural venue: all-night dancing – at a scrapyard
In a city that holds concerts in a sewer (more on that below), you’ll find people partying at a scrapyard too. At the weekends, Schrotty turns into a popular dance venue with electronic music booming between rusting vehicles of all shapes and sizes. And if it gets too chilly for you outside, there are three dance floors to choose from in the building next door.
The scrapyard is actually still operational and during the week you’ll find cars that have seen better days being taken apart here. In addition to parties, the yard and the indoor facility can be hired for private events, seminars, workshops and corporate get-togethers.
Schrotty, Vogelsanger Str. 406, 50827 Cologne
Looking for more? Check out: “Clubs in Cologne: never-ending nightlife“
Ode & Dyck: vintage design against a historical industrial backdrop
Some manhole covers are veritable design items. And the things you’ll find today in the old Gebrüder Odenthal factory where they used to make covers definitely are. Every Saturday, furniture business Ode & Dyck opens the gates of this historical site to potential buyers of mid-century and industrial design classics.
The gems for sale come from house clearances, deceased persons’ estates or private collections. A cherry-red couch from the 1960s, a Bauhaus-style armchair, a Kai Kristiansen wall unit or a Warren Platner table – if they’re the sort of exquisite design pieces you’re looking for to add that special touch to your home, this is the right place for you. And you get to discover some of Cologne’s industrial heritage at the same time!
Hospeltstr. 29-35, 50825 Cologne, Saturday, 11am-5pm
Looking for more? Check out: “Cologne loves vintage: the city’s top six second-hand clothes shops”
Offenbach and CARLsGARTEN: a green haven and centre of culture and cuisine
Carlswerk in Cologne’s Mülheim neighbourhood is an exciting example of how former industrial sites can be successfully repurposed. A cable production facility in a past life, today it’s a creative district that houses offices, ateliers, eateries and cultural venues.
One particular highlight is CARLsGARTEN, an urban community garden that provides approximately 3,000m² of green haven right in the middle of the city. It’s home to a wide range of vegetables, herbs and wild plants, looked after by a team of locals and other helpers. As well as being a great place to relax, the garden also serves as a venue for workshops, cultural events and environmental courses. The combination of industrial charm and urban greenery creates a unique setting that encourages people to explore and take an active part in everything that’s on offer. But you can also just chill and enjoy the space sitting on one of the numerous pallet seats (with tables) or the stylish loungers by famed designer duo Enzi.
If you start to feel peckish or parched, head to Offenbach am CARLsGARTEN. This lovely restaurant is well-known for its creative cuisine and cosy atmosphere. With seasonal dishes, regional ingredients and a particular focus on quality, it serves up a fantastic culinary experience. It’s also a favourite haunt of the ensemble from the nearby theatre, who like to pop in for a post-performance drink or two.
Bayenthal Pump Station: a twilight photo spot
A big black block during the day, the pump station reveals its full glory as night falls. Its metal exterior is covered in thousands of little lamps, which light up in red, blue, yellow or green depending on the water level in the River Rhine.
For all the prettiness the colourful lights produce, the machinery behind them has a very practical benefit for the people of Cologne – it protects the city from flooding. Cologne actually has 35 pump stations in total, built in response to flooding in 1993 and 1995 that caused more than half a billion euros of damage. Now, if the water rises above a certain level, the pumps stop water building up in Cologne’s sewer system.
Bayenthal Pumpwerk Köln, Oberländer Werft, 50968 Cologne
Fort Deckstein and the Felsengarten rock garden: a Prussian-era fortification amidst trees from centuries past
Back in Prussian times, Cologne wasn’t always surrounded by friends. By the beginning of the 19th century, it became clear the city needed to enclose itself in a ring of fortifications, part of which were forts. One of those forts was Fort VI, also known as Fort Deckstein, which can still be visited today.
The fort has been restored dozens of times and parts of it have been used as band rehearsal rooms or artists’ ateliers. The current tenants within its ancient walls include a rowing club. It’s surrounded by a lovely park in which some of the trees are several centuries old: the Felsengarten or “rock garden”. At the centre of it lies Decksteiner Weiher, a lake that’s popular with hikers visiting the region. And if all that walking makes you feel hungry or thirsty, you can just carry straight on to nearby Gaststätte Haus am See.
An der Decksteiner Mühle, 50935 Cologne
The nuclear bunker in Kalk: a Cold War survival shelter
The civil defence bunker in the neighbourhood of Kalk undoubtedly ranks among the unusual places to visit in Cologne too. During the Cold War, fear of a nuclear bomb attack was part of people’s everyday lives. They shared tips and carried out drills to prepare themselves for the worst. And they built shelters like the bunker beneath the Kalk Post underground station, which would have accommodated as many as 2,366 residents if the Russians had pressed the big red button.
Below a layer of concrete 1.4 metres thick, inhabitants in the bunker would have been able to eat, sleep, recover and even undergo surgery for a period of two weeks. At least, they would have been able to if the nuclear strike had been announced with a two-week warning. That’s how long it would have taken for the crew needed to operate all the equipment to actually get there. As for how they were to survive in the nuclear-contaminated world outside the bunker afterwards, there were no specific plans for that.
The bunker was decommissioned in 2005. It’s open to pre-registered visitors every first Sunday of the month but the waiting list is pretty long. If you don’t want to wait, you can take a 3D tour courtesy of domstadt.tv instead.
KALK POST underground station, Robertstraße 2, 51105 Cologne
You can sign up for a tour of the Kalk nuclear bunker here.
Willi Ostermann Fountain: a hidden spot in the Altstadt buzz
The Willi Ostermann fountain in the old part of Cologne (Altstadt) is a delightful tribute to legendary local songwriter Willi Ostermann as well as being a wonderful spot to step away from the hustle and bustle for a while. Located centrally on Ostermannplatz square, the fountain features characters from Ostermann’s songs and symbolises the joie de vivre the region is so well-known for. A must for fans of Cologne folklore in particular, this is a place where you can tap into the city’s musical history whilst enjoying the laidback flair of the surrounding streets.
Fort X’s roof-top rose garden: a blossoming secret
Fort X, comprising a reduit, ramparts with casemates, a ditch with a scarp and counterscarp and a mine gallery, is well preserved despite being hit by bombs twice during the Second World War.
But what many people don’t know about is the rose garden hidden on the roof of this protected-status monument. A visit to the secret garden is a must though – otherwise you miss out on the nicest part of this ancient fortification. Measuring 98 hectares, the garden boasts some 2,000 roses and more than 70 different varieties – each blossoming more beautifully than the next when spring arrives. The secret garden has even featured in literature and television, getting a mention in both Heinrich Böll’s Gruppenbild mit Dame (Group Portrait with Lady) and Mike Schwarz’s Fort X – Mord im Rosengarten (Fort X – Murder in the Rose Garden), for instance.
Neusser Wall 33, 50670 Cologne. Open from May
The “Minnesota of Zollstock”: unconventional living
Between Cologne’s Südfriedhof cemetery and the Buchholz tennis club lies a residential area unlike any other in the city. Sheep graze in front of brightly coloured sheds, horses gallop (free) between overrun gardens, and overgrown paths lend the whole place an aura of enchantment.
Originally a product of the housing shortage following the Second World War, in the 1970s this place became a magnet for artists, hippies and those seeking an alternative lifestyle. Many of them still live here today – in what the locals fondly refer to as the “Minnesota” of Cologne’s Zollstock district. But there are also families and students living here and enjoying reasonable rents coupled with a friendly community. In a display of unconventionality mixed with orderliness, some of them have erected small rows of cabins or built allotment gardens. This is an area definitely worth visiting and nearby Kalscheuer Weiher lake adds to the appeal.
One of the more famous inhabitants was journalist and author Hans Conrad Zander. He’d been to a Native American reservation in North America and nicknamed his home in Cologne Indianersiedlung (Indian settlement), a name that’s still used today.
Kalscheurer Weg, Weg T, 50969 Cologne
Cologne’s “Chandelier Hall”: an imperial celebration of effluent engineering
Sewage systems are one of humankind’s more recent inventions and it wasn’t until the late 19th century that the old and new parts of Cologne were connected to one. It’s said even Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm II was proud of the ingenious engineering behind it. To honour his attendance at the opening of an underground chamber where various tunnels converge, the “hall” was decorated with two candlestick chandeliers.
By the end of the 1980s, the original chandeliers had fallen into disrepair and a replica was installed. It continues to ensure a ceremonial mood – so much so that the wastewater utility company even put on concerts here up until 2019. It’s not known whether the odour emanating from the adjacent sewer prevented people from enjoying the “chamber music” but there are no longer any concerts. You can, however, admire the Chandelier Hall (which is now a protected monument) on an underground tour – though you might want to pack a peg for your nose.
Theodor-Heuss-Ring 32, 50668 Cologne
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