Cologne - St. Engelbert

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

St. Engelbert is a circular church built on a pedestal. The tower is like a campanile separated from the building. The basic form of the church is formed by parabolic, high outer walls, which form a circular shape with segments curved like a shield.

The church, designed by architect Dominikus Böhm, was erected 1931 and got consecrated, though not finally completed, in 1932. This building was only possible using the modern material of reinforced concrete. The shape of the paraboloidal vaulting in a central point and the slender shape of the 40 meter high campanile required a concrete structure backed by reinforced concrete. The outside walls got clad with clinkers.

Unfortunately the church, sometimes dubbed "Zitronenpresse" (lemon squeezer), was locked. What was a real pity!