City Guide: Cologne
From Roman ruins to howling monkeys and chocolate fountains, Germany’s famous cathedral city offers a wealth of family-friendly attractions
Roman Germanic Museum
Cologne started life as a Roman settlement, named Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium after Agrippina the Younger, the wife of Emperor Claudius. Clearly that proved too much of mouthful and the name was shortened to Colonia. In 1941, as the result of an air raid, a Roman villa was discovered at the heart of the city, replete with a spectacular mosaic in honour of divine hedonist Dionysus, god of wine. A museum celebrating the city's Roman heritage was constructed around this fabulous feat of tessellation. Other treasures in the collection include intricate jewels and glassware and the sepulchre of Roman soldier Poblicius.
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