Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Severinstor

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". The Severinstorburg is one of four preserved city gate castles of the medieval city wall of Cologne. The gate, which today is located right in the middle of the vibrant Südstadt quarter, was erected mid 13th century, securing the road to Bonn in the south of the empire. This important road existed since Roman times. The Severinstorburg was one of the representative gates of Cologne during the Middle Ages. High-ranking nobles were adequately welcomed here like eg Princess Isabella of England, wife of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Friedrich II, in 1235. After the city walls were razed in 1881, the gate housed museums. In 1979 it was converted into a centre where rooms can be rented. It is a very popular "event location" for weddings. www.severinstorburg.de/

Carnival has a long tradition not only in Cologne, where it is known and often got suppressed since medieval times. The French did not like it, but allowed carnival in 1804, from then on, carneval societies were founded often making fun of (French and later Prussian) militarism. The "fifth season" (carnival season) is declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of the 11th month November. That is the time of balls and sessions. The carneval hits the streets on Fat Thursday (Weiberfastnacht) with a declaration at the Alter Markt square at 11.11h. on the Thursday before the beginning of Lent. Shops are closed, pubs are open, Cologne folks are masqueraded, sing and dance. For somebody not born here - it feels a bit strange. Folks are queueing to enter "Früh im Veedel", a popular pub next to the Severinstor.