Cologne, Germany

We drove north to Germany’s fourth-largest city, Köln, to visit the iconic cathedral and the Christmas market in its shadow.

Employing the park-and-ride system we enjoyed in Amsterdam, we left the car in a suburb and rode into the middle of the city on the U-bahn. As we ascended up the escalator into daylight, the cathedral towered above us.

We located Gaffel am Dom, a beer hall near the main market square, and sampled golden draws of the local Kölsch beer with lunch. After a stroll through the bustling Christmas market (and a detour for dessert), we entered the imposing cathedral.

As our eyes adjusted to the dim light, we inspected the soaring stained-glass windows and intricate floor mosaics. The cathedral is hushed inside with clergy dressed in dark red robes keeping a watchful eye on visitors.

How amazing that Germany’s most-visited landmark survived the catastrophe of World War II. Despite a blackout, the cathedral’s massive twin spires guided aircraft over Cologne as Allied bombs reduced the city to rubble.

Standing inside the darkness, peering upwards, we could imagine the terrifying rumbles as the world outside the cathedral collapsed. A tank battle between the Americans and Nazis was fought on the front steps.

Throughout Cologne, there were photos displaying the total destruction of Germany’s industrial heart. In many, the 800-year-old cathedral stands alone.

I hiked to the edge of the Rhine and looked out over the re-built Hohenzollern Bridge. It was one of the most important bridges in Germany during WW II. Even under consistent daily airstrikes the bridge was not badly damaged. In March 1945, German military engineers blew up the bridge as Allied troops began their assault on Cologne.

The bridge’s span is now covered by a sea of “love padlocks”. A couple’s initials are inscribed on the lock and then its key is thrown away to symbolize unbreakable love. There must be a lot of love these days in Germany!

We walked several blocks to to the east of the cathedral to an otherwise nondescript office building. This was the former headquarters and prison of the Gestapo in Cologne during the Nazi era.

It’s now one of a series of startling museums across Germany providing a terrifying reminder of the Nazi era. I had previously visited the Dokumentationszentrum in Nuremberg at the Nazi parade grounds and one in Obersalzberg at Hitler’s underground bunker in the Alps.

This museum in Cologne was different. This wasn’t some incredible engineering project or massive rally ground. This was just an unassuming office building in the middle of the city. That made it even more chilling.

Here, the Gestapo rounded up “enemies of the Reich” from the surrounding area. Prisoners were kept in dark cells underground, interrogated and often tortured. Many were shot or hanged in the adjacent courtyard, in full view of the windows of surrounding apartments.

The underground complex was in its original state. Prisoners’ inscriptions were clearly visible on the walls. Ironically, the building escaped the bombs that leveled the rest of the city.

On the top floors, exhibits documented and confronted the German public’s support of the Nazis. After the war, much had been swept under the rug but these museums are designed to put an uncomfortable spotlight on the past. The aim is to educate and avoid a repeat of history.

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