Cologne - Volksgarten

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 the 1820s the Prussians had erected forts just outside the city walls. 50 years later, the walls got torn down and another "protective ring" was erected far outside.

One of the then useless forts was "Fort IV, dedicated to "Erbherzog Paul von Mecklenburg“. The area around the fort has long been sold to many small landowners. Starting in 1886, Wilhem Kaesen bought more than 60 small parcels of land from the owners. He transfers the 10ha area to the City of Cologne under the condition, that here a "Garden for Everybody" should be developed. The City adds another 5ha and so the "Volksgarten" came into existence.

With its wide lawns, a small lake, a beer garden and even a small waterfall, the Volksgarten is still an important part of Cologne's local recreation.