Every hour on the hour, the “Platzjabbek” sticks out his tongue at the Cologne town hall tower, the “floppy hat” only wants to show self-confidence, as the bourgeoisie did back in the 15th century.
The oldest part of the town hall is the Hansa Hall. As the name suggests: In the 14th century, the Hanseatic League met here. Later, courts were held in the Hansa Hall or high-ranking representatives were received.
The town hall tower was not built until 1414, and used to primarily store certificates and important documents. Most of the 124 stone figures that exist today have adorned the tower since then.
And the citizens went one step further and had the beautiful Renaissance arbor built in front of the hall building about 150 years later as an expression of great municipal pride.
Did you know that the town hall has a “piazzetta”, a 900 square meter open space inside? This was not originally there, but was built as part of the reconstruction after the destruction in the Second World War.
The Cologne Town Hall is the oldest documented town hall in Germany.
Anyone who “dares” to enter into marriage can do so either in the rent chamber or in the tower cellar.
While the rent master used to take care of the city’s finances in the rent chamber, the tower cellar, which is 40 steps down, served as a storage area for the council’s wines.
By the way:
If you like to hear Cologne sounds, you should come to the town hall every afternoon at 3 p.m., the carillon surprises you every day with alternating songs from Black Fööss to Jupp Schmitz.
But you can also hear beautiful music from 48 bronze bells, which are now computer-controlled, at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. If you missed the carillon or don’t want to wait for the next one, here is a small sample. According to YouTube, you should listen to the Cologne song “Echte Fründe”
*Now it’s about to get funny again when we pay a visit to two Cologne originals, Tünnes and Schäl. A monument has been dedicated to them in Cologne. There I’ll tell you a few things about the two that will make you smile. *
Image source 1. Image: By Wikipedia user Arminia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57166
Image source 2. Image: Turmuhr and Platzjabbek, By Thomas Voekler, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6140758
