Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Volksgartenstrasse

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". Franz Kafka is one of the of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis") and "Der Process". The term "Kafkaesque" has entered the language to describe situations that are puzzling, surreal and maybe frightening. I felt a bit Kafkaesque, when I recently found this obituary notice, pasted on a lamppost in Cologne´s Südstadt quarter. Franz Kafka was born 03.07.1883. Today is his birthday.

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". -- During WWII Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids. The first ever 1,000 bomber raid by the RAF (codenamed "Operation Millenium") was conducted on Cologne in May 1942. In April 1945, when the American armee reached Cologne, the city was completely ruined. About 90% of all houses in the inner city were - gone. In 1939 Cologne had had a population of more than 700.00. In spring 1945 there were only about 40.000, living in the ruins. This video shows parts of the destroyed city www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_pQdzhdD50 -- That means, that there are not that many "complete" houses in Cologne older than 70 years. These one, near the Volksgarten Park, are very well restored, the buildings to the very left are from the 1950s and 1960s.