Pretty much always crowded. The opening hours are a joke…read more And as almost everywhere in the World, bureaucrats are selfish and unfriendly "people" if one should call them so. If i need to do something i often go to the one in Ehrenfeld. But i can't always avoid having to come here. It's well located with a subway and bus station just outside the building, and a huge parking, downside the subway station has no elevators or escalator, so for the elderly and the disabled is a real nightmare. The Building is huge, and from what i've heard it's half empty, so, following the trend, it's tax payers money just thrown away.

Okay, while I didn't go inside (and I'm not even sure if you can go inside - I didn't check) this…read moreis still a pretty awesome place to check out. Like the towers of the cathedral and Martin Luther's church, the tower of the Historic Rathaus can be seen from most parts of the city, however the impressive nature of the building only comes to the for when you actually get up close to it. Basically the tower is covered in statues of various celebrities of the city. I have to be honest that I don't know who precisely the statues represent, but apparently one of them is a witch. However, even though I don't know the identity of the statues, it is still pretty cool to spend some time admiring the architecture.

If you're the sort of tourist who likes to learn a little about the social history of the places…read moreyou visit, and if you speak German, then I recommend popping into the City Hall. There are a couple tapestries and paintings to view that will give you insights into the city's history, and often art exhibits and such that will give you a sense of the current state of affairs in Cologne. There is also an atrium explaining the legend of the mayor and the lion. However, you need to speak/read German, as virtually nothing is written in English.