About Cologne: Sight Seeing
Cologne Cathedral
The construction of the cathedral started in 1248 and was stopped in 1510, mainly because of lack of money and interest. In the 19th century the building work on the building was resumed and it was completed in 1880. The cathedral is the city’s landmark and a must-see. It is situated directly opposite to the conference venue on the other side of the Rhine River. It can be reached by train (one station from Köln-Deutz to Köln Hbf), but a walk over the Hohenzollern-bridge (railroad bridge) is cheaper, shorter and much more pleasant.
Visits of the nave are for free, guided tours in several languages can be booked at the “Domforum” 
. Only one of the towers of the cathedral can be visited (2€). After a 509-step climb, you will have one of the most scenic views of the city. For a visit to the treasure chamber you will be charged with 4,00€.
The interior of the Cathedral includes the golden shrine of the three Magi, containing their bones. Another important item is the altar screen of Stephan Lochner, depicting the saints of Cologne: St. Ursula, St. Elisabeth, St. Gereon and St. Cordula.
Town hall
The town hall was built during 1135 to 1152. Today the facade has a unique balcony in Venetian style. The tower is decorated with 124 statues of popular people from Cologne and from the Rhineland, real and imaginary ones. During construction of the cellar of the modern town Hall, the old Roman Praetorium, the seat of the praetor of the Roman province, was found. It can be visited too.
(Line 1, 7, 9 to Heumarkt or walk)
Mikvah
A glass pyramid standing in the front of town Hall covers the old Mikvah, the Jewish ritual bath. A small stairway is leads 16 meters down where the flowing water, as required by Jewish law, can be seen.
Opening hours: Monday-Thursday 8 -16.45 h, Friday 8 - 12 h
Köln triangle
This modern sky-scraper is situated next to the conference hotel It is owned by a social insurance, and offers a sight-seeing platform that allows a panoramic view over the city. (3€ entrance)
KölnArena
The KölnArena is Europe’s most modern and biggest multifunctional hall, which seats up to 19,000 visitors (according to the web page). The hall can be used as ice-hockey arena but also for classic and rock concerts, large opera events etc.
Unfortunately, the web page does not state any event during the conference yet.
Check the closer to the conference dates for events during the conference.
Zoo Cologne
The Cologne zoo can be reached via a short walk heading north on the eastern side of the river Rhine through the Rhine Park and then via aerial cable car across the river.
Cable Car tickets (roundtrip) 4€/6€
Zoo tickets (one day) 13 €
(Line 1, 7, 9 to Neumarkt, then underground 18)
Synagogue
In 1899, the old Synagogue in the inner city became too small, and a new one was built in the Roonstraße in neo-romaneque style. On November 9th, 1938, under the Nazi-rule, it was badly destroyed. After the war, no one planned to rebuild it, except from some members of the Jewish community. The first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and former mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, arranged the reconstruction in the 1950s. Pope Benedict XVI visited the synagogue in 2005. Today the synagogue is active and also runs a kosher restaurant.
(Tramway 1, 7, 9 to Neumarkt, then take the bus line 146 or136 direction Hohenlind or Deckstein to station Roonstraße)
St. Gereon
Cologne, while famous for the cathedral, has 12 churches in Romanesque style. A very imposing example is the church of St. Gereon, which has the largest Middle-Age dome north of the Alps.
(Tramway 1, 7, 9 to Neumarkt, then underground 12, 15 to Christopherstraße)
Opera
The municipal opera is located at the Offenbachplatz. The program (only in German) can be found here. Performances are usually held in the original language and sub-titled in German language.
(Line 1,7,9 to Neumarkt)
House of 4711
Next door to the opera, you will find the house where the word-famous fragance “4711Original Eau de Cologne” was firstly produced (http://www.4711.com/ekw/english/history.html) can be seen. At full hours, a glockenspiel on the front of the building plays on the hour, ending with the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in memory of the Frenchmen who gave the house the historical enumeration “Glockengasse 4711”
Heinzelmännchen-Fountain
The “Heinzelmännchen” were a sort of leprechaun who used to help the people in Cologne and eased their work. They where so shy that they avoided any direct contact. The wife of a tailor was so curios that she strayed peas on the steps to make the Heinzelmännchen fall so she could catch them. That’s why they fled from the city. Today people in Cologne have to work without their help, perhaps one of the reasons why not everything is done too quicklyin Cologne. The fountain at the square “Am Hof”, near the cathedral and the brewery “Früh” commemorates them.
Railway to main station
Nonsense memorials
There are some nonsense memorials in the inner city, reflecting the strange humor of the people of Cologne.
For example, at the square in front of the church “Groß St. Martin”, a stele remarks the spot where young Roman men met with Ubii girls to found the family Schmitz, nowadays a very common family name in the Cologne area. A plaque also states that 389,994.1 km from that point, on July 21st, 1969, Neil Armstrong set his foot on the moon. More interesting are the high-water marks on the stele, indicating the height of extreme floods of the river Rhine in the streets of the old town. Very near to this stele, a bronze-statue ensemble depicts the two comical figures of Cologne, “Tünnes and Schäl”, the one with a very big nose, the other cross-eyed. If you pass to the right side through the tunnel, you can take a look at the “Kallendresser”, a small figure taking defecating into the roof gutter.
All: Tramway 1,7,9 to Heumarkt