Last summer I spent a couple days in Cologne all by myself. You’ve already seen fragments of that trip on the blog and my instagram, but today I wanted to share my favorite spots in this lovely German city. I collected tips from friends and other bloggers beforehand, so in the map at the bottom of this post you’ll find a lot more places than I possibly could try in those three days but would love to explore during another visit to Cologne!
It’s no secret that I’m rather fond of botanical gardens, so it shouldn’t surprise you that when I planned to visit Cologne, the first thing I looked up was if the city had a botanical garden. Wandering through the lush gardens, exploring its stunning greenhouses and reading while enjoying these exotic vies turned out to be a perfect way to spend my afternoon. What can I say, I just never get tired of botanical gardens! So here are a few fragments of Cologne’s most peaceful hideaway, hopefully this dose of greenery brightens your Sunday!
Ever since I set foot in Cologne’s Kolumba museum five years ago, I’ve been in awe with this architectural masterpiece by Peter Zumthor. When I planned to spend a couple of days in Cologne this summer, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I’d be able to revisit the Kolumba, which I still remembered as one of the most impressive buildings I’ve visited. Curious whether or not it’d live up to my memories, I couldn’t wait to pay this museum for religious art a second visit. Built on the ruins of a gothic church, the building forms a stunning play on the contrast between old and new, light and dark, matte and reflective surfaces. Needless to say, I was not disappointed by my second visit at all.
This summer, I felt the need to escape our little country on my own for a few days. When choosing my destination, I was looking for something not too far away so I could easily reach it with blablacar, not too expensive, not too touristic and preferably not in France, as I already planned to go there a few days later. Keeping all of this in mind and considering tips from friends, I decided on Cologne. I had already been there five years ago during a school trip, to visit what has become one of my favorite buildings, but didn’t really remember the city itself. Cologne turned out to be wonderful and exactly what I needed. (Would you like to see a city guide?) I enjoyed the sun (36 degrees!), sipped on iced lattes, wandered the beautiful green streets of the city, caught up on my reading, admired that favorite building for the second time (I’ll show you the photos in a blogpost soon) and visited the most beautiful musea Cologne had to offer. One of those was the Skulpturenpark, a parc that hosts biennial series of sculpture exhibitions. The current exhibition, KölnSkulptur #8 will be on show until June 2017 and made quite the impression on me. With works by Dan Graham and Sou Fujimotto among others, it’s no surprise that I shot nearly a whole roll of film here. I hope these fragments of my visit give you an accurate impression of the hours I’ve spent enjoying this beautiful parc.
Recently I took a little roadtrip along with 50 other architecture students to Frankfurt. I will show you all of the pictures soon, but this building diserves a post of it’s own. On our way to Frankfurt, we stopped by the most beautiful museum I’ve ever been to. Seriously,if you ever get the chance, please visit the Kolumba Art museum of the Archoiocese of Cologne. It’s designed by Peter Zumthor and the architecture is mindblowing, all of us walked around in awe and totally forgot about what time we had to be back at the bus and where we would find a meal before we got there.
all pictures taken by me