Cologne - Eigelsteintorburg

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".

In medieval times Cologne had 12 gates and as this was a parallel to the heavenly Jerusalem it was dubbed "Sancta Colonia" or "Hilliges Coellen" (= "Sacred Cologne"). All gates were fortified and part of the citywall. Four of these old gates still exist. One is the Eigelsteintorburg, erected 1228 and 1248 during the third city expansion. It secured the city to the north. The road running through was originally built by the Romans.

The Eigelsteintorburg was remodeled a couple of times over the centuries and in Prussian times served as a prison. Meanwhile some representive rooms can be rented for private parties.