Old Town

Cologne's Old Town, often called Altstadt, is a district that includes narrow medieval houses between the Hohenzollern Bridge and the Severins Bridge that was once the trading center of the city. Where craftsmen and merchants, since approximately the 10th Century, displayed and offered their wares, has now become the entertainment quarter. Today the former market squares are still busy, especially the Alter Markt. At Heumarkt, archaeologists display finds which tell the story of life in the town in years gone by, while the Alter Markt is a traditional meeting-place during festivals, markets and the opening of Karneval.