Cologne’s Secret Streak

by on September 9, 2010 in Germany, Make Me Smile

Cologne's Rathaus Has A Secret...

The city of Cologne has a proud, upstanding Rathaus (Town Hall.) Important civic duties, from weddings to council meetings take place behind its carved and elegant façade – and have done for almost 500 years. Over 130 figures stand solemn, silenced by stone on the outside of the building. From kings and queens to saints and prophets, these noble and serious influences guide the good people of Cologne in their daily administrative duties.

Serious Cologne...

Except…It took a local to point out the following sculpture:

Not All Well Behaved...

Right there, among all those dignitaries, I discovered Cologne’s secret streak.

Naked in Cologne...

I visited Cologne as part of the Eurostar Explorer expedition.

Buffer
Print Friendly

11 Responses to “Cologne’s Secret Streak”

  1. ross September 9, 2010 at 11:56 pm #

    I went to Koln for the carnival in Jan, what a great city http://europetraveler.co.uk/the-koln-carnival/

    loved your pics of the gargoyles in your posting.

    Reply
  2. ross September 9, 2010 at 11:57 pm #

    Just read your Bio – I did neuroscience at uni and ended up in the online travel industry!

    Reply
  3. Name Tags September 11, 2010 at 12:47 am #

    Is that last sculpture really on the building? If so, that is crazy and very strange.

    Reply
  4. ross September 11, 2010 at 12:48 am #

    it looks weird!

    Reply
  5. Abi September 11, 2010 at 3:46 am #

    Ross- Neuroscience as well? Small world!
    Yep – they’re all real (and weird!)

    Reply
  6. Michael June 1, 2011 at 8:04 am #

    How amusing! I’ve been thre several times but never knew this was there. Learn/see something new everyday, I say.

    Reply
  7. Martin Rath June 1, 2011 at 6:05 pm #

    Unfortunatly the nacked back is not just a funny topic. As far as I know it is defensive magic. (Current Italian soccer players grab between the legs to banish [d]evil.) Above the inscription is a statue of Katharina Henot, victim of a sorcery trial in 1700th century. (The flames around her show what sentence was passed.)

    The statue on the left hand shows Friedrich von Spee (erroneously named “Spee von Langenfeld”), an early and brave critic of the witch-huntings.

    See:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Henot
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Spee

    Reply
    • Abi June 2, 2011 at 8:41 pm #

      Thanks, Martin. That’s absolutely fascinating…I might write a separate post about your comments. Cheers!

      Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Cologne's Secret: Naked in the Town Hall Rathaus | Inside the Travel Lab -- Topsy.com - September 10, 2010

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Eurostar UK, Abigail King. Abigail King said: Better make the most of my journalistic brilliance right now! http://ht.ly/2BT4d > @501places @alastairmck @WildJunket we'll wait for the… [...]

  2. The Top Things to Do in Cologne | Cheap Weekend Breaks - October 14, 2010

    [...] an elegant administrative building and Cologne’s Rathaus is no exception…well, except for the stone statues with their trousers around their ankles. KölnTriangePanorama for a View of [...]

  3. Love Padlocks in Cologne | Helen Caldwell - July 9, 2011

    [...] quirky things I saw on holiday in Cologne: a cheeky carving on the town hall – see Abi King’s post on Cologne’s Secret Streak – and a terrifying mechanical musical duo in Papa Joe’s. You put your euro in the slot, select [...]

Leave a Reply