The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Cologne, Germany.
Prior to the 14th century
13 CE - Germanicus headquartered in Cologne. 15 CE - Town becomes administrative capital of Germania Inferior (approximate date). 50 CE - Romans establish Colonia. 80 CE - Eifel Aqueduct built. 90 CE - Population: 45,000. 260 - Cologne becomes capital of Gallic Empire. 310 - Bridge built over Rhine. 313 - Catholic diocese of Cologne established (approximate date). 451 - The Huns under Attila sack Cologne. 459 - Ripuarian Franks take power. 475 - Becomes the residence of the Frankish king Childeric I. 716 - Battle of Cologne. 795 - City becomes Archbishop's see. 960 - Great St. Martin Church founded. 974 - St. Andreas Church consecrated. 980 - Church of St. Pantaleon consecrated. 1003 - Deutz Abbey founded. 1065 - St. Maria im Kapitol built. 1106 - Church of the Holy Virgins built (approximate date). 1114 - Coat of arms of Cologne in use. 1160 - St. Cäcilien church built (approximate date). 1182 - City expands with suburbs and ramparts. 1184 - Richerzeche formed (approximate date). 1201 - The city joined the Hanseatic League. 1227 - St. Gereon's Basilica built. 1247 - St. Kunibert church consecrated. 1248 - Cologne Cathedral construction begins. 1250 - Great St. Martin Church built. 1259 - Konrad von Hochstaden (Archbishop of Cologne) expels the Richerzeche. 1260 - Church of the Minorites built (approximate date). 1288 - Battle of Worringen.
14th–18th centuries
1322 Cologne Cathedral choir consecrated. Municipal archive in operation (approximate date). 1334 - Cologne Charterhouse founded. 1388 - University of Cologne established. 1396 - Constitution of Cologne in effect. 1400 - Gothic artist known as "Master of Saint Veronica" active (approximate date). 1414 - Jews expelled. 1447 - built. 1450 - Dreikönigsgymnasium founded. 1466 - Ulrich Zell sets up printing press. 1473 - Work on Cologne Cathedral west front and towers suspended until 19th century 1475 - City becomes free imperial city. 1569 - Cologne City Hall building expanded. 1583/88 - Cologne War a religious conflict. 1584 - Apostolic Nuncio established. 1586 - Battle of Werl. 1608 - Protestants banished. 1626 Bertram Hilden sets up printing business. Witch trials begin (approximate date). 1709 - Eau de Cologne launched by Giovanni Maria Farina. 1734 - begins publication. 1783 - Theater an der Schmierstraße built. 1794 - Population: 40,000. 1795 - City directory published. 1796 - City annexed by French First Republic. 1798 University of Cologne closes. newspaper begins publication.
19th century
1801 - Treaty of Lunéville incorporates the city into France. 1802 - Hänneschen puppet theatre founded. 1815 - Prussians take power, viz Congress of Vienna. 1823 - Rosenmontag (carnival) begins. 1827 - Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne formed. 1839 - Stollwerck confectionery established. 1840 - Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne active. 1842 Rheinische Zeitung begins publication. Central-Dombauverein zu Köln (Central Cathedral Building Society) recommences construction work on Cologne Cathedral after 400 years. 1848 - Neue Rheinische Zeitung begins publication. 1849 - Population: 94,789 in city; 497,330 in region. 1850 - Conservatorium der Musik founded. 1853 - Diözesanmuseum founded. 1857 - Hotel du Dome opens. 1859 Cathedral Bridge built. Köln Hauptbahnhof opens. 1860 - Zoo founded. 1861 Wallraf-Richartz Museum and Glockengasse Synagogue built. Population: 120,568 in city; 567,435 in region. 1863 - Hotel Ernst opens. 1864 - Flora park laid out. 1872 Theater in der built. Zimmermann bakery in business. 1874 - restored. 1876 - Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger begins publication. 1877 - Cologne Stadtbahn opens. 1880 - Cologne Cathedral completed. 1885 Population: 239,437. City walls dismantled. 1888 - Bayenthal, Ehrenfeld, Lindenthal and Nippes incorporated into city.
1890 - Public Library established. 1894 - Main station rebuilt. 1900 - Population: 370,685.
20th century
1900-1945 1902 - Theater am Habsburger Ring built. 1904 - Oper der Stadt Köln formed. 1905 - Population: 428,503. 1906 - Schnütgen Museum founded. 1908 - 21 September: Mathematician Minkowski delivers "Raum und Zeit" lecture on spacetime. 1910 Kalk and incorporated into city. Population: 516,527. 1911 - Hohenzollern Bridge built. 1913 - Rheinpark and Köln Messe/Deutz station open. 1914 - Werkbund Exhibition held. 1917 - Konrad Adenauer becomes mayor. 1919 Consulate of Poland opens. Population: 633,904. 1921 - Jawne school built. 1925 - Population: 705,477. 1926 Airport opens. Kölner Werkschulen established. 1928 Messeturm Köln built. Polish Consulate relocated to Frankfurt, and replaced by a Polish Consular Agency in Cologne. 1930 Polish Consular Agency closed. November: Flood. 1934 - University of Cologne reopens. 1938 - Kristallnacht. 1939 - Nazi camp for Sinti and Romani people established (see also Porajmos). 1940 - Bombing begins. 1942 - III SS construction brigade (forced labour camp) established by the SS. Its prisoners were mostly Poles and Soviets. 1944 May: III SS construction brigade camp relocated to Wieda. 12 August: Ford-Werke subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp established. Its prisoners were mostly Soviets. 15 August: Köln Stadt subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp established. Its prisoners were mostly Eastern Europeans. 27 September: Westwaggon subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp established. Its prisoners were mostly Soviets. 25 October: Köln Stadt subcamp of Buchenwald dissolved. Prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp. November: Ehrenfeld Group executed. November: 1. SS-Eisenbahnbaubrigade subcamp of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp based in Cologne.
1945 February: Ford-Werke subcamp of Buchenwald dissolved. Prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp. February: 1. SS-Eisenbahnbaubrigade subcamp relocated from Cologne. March: Westwaggon subcamp of Buchenwald dissolved. Many prisoners deported to the main Buchenwald camp, dozens managed to escape. American troops capture city.
1946-1990s 1946 - Kölnische Rundschau begins publication. 1947 27 March: Food protest. Sport University founded. Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunk orchestra formed. 1949 Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger resumes publication. Cologne Furniture Fair begins. 1950 - Photokina trade fair begins. 1951 - Cologne Bonn Airport opens. 1954 Italian Cultural Institute in Cologne founded. Cappella Coloniensis formed. 1955 February–March: City co-hosts the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships. rebuilt. 1957 Central Station rebuilt. Opera house built. Cable Car begins operating. City hosts Bundesgartenschau (national horticulture biennial). 1960 Stadtwerke Köln established. Population: 803,616. 1964 newspaper begins publication. School massacre. Forstbotanischer Garten created. 1967 - Kölner Kunstmarkt begins. 1971 - Cologne University of Applied Sciences formed. 1973 - headquartered in city. 1976 - Gebühreneinzugszentrale and Museum Ludwig established. 1977 - headquartered in city. 1981 - Colonius tower built.
1983 April: Flood. Akademie för uns Kölsche Sproch established. 1984 Centrum Schwule Geschichte established. Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs headquartered in city. Feminale film festival begins. 1985 Käthe Kollwitz Museum opens. St. George's School founded. 1986 - headquartered in city. 1988 - NS Documentation Center established. 1990 - Academy of Media Arts Cologne established. 1991 - Cologne Conference (television and film festival) and Cologne Comedy Festival begin. 1992 - Cologne Festival of Early Music begins. 1993 Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum opens. Cologne Business School established. Ringfest begins. 1994 - Central Council of Muslims in Germany headquartered in city. 1996 - Summerjam reggae festival begins. 1998 September: City hosts the 1998 World Rowing Championships. Lanxess Arena opens. 1999 City website online (approximate date). 25th G8 summit held in Cologne. 2000 Internationale Filmschule Köln established. Population: 962,884.
21st century
2001 April–May: City co-hosts the 2001 IIHF World Championship. KölnTurm built. (archives) headquartered in Cologne. 2002 - Köln–Frankfurt high-speed rail line begins operating. 2004 9 June: Bombing. MediaPark constructed. 2005 City hosts Catholic World Youth Day. Weltstadthaus built. 2006 International Women's Film Festival Dortmund/Cologne begins. KölnTriangle built. 2009 - Jürgen Roters becomes mayor. 2010 - Population: 1,007,119 2014 - Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki succeeds Joachim Cardinal Meisner as archbishop of Cologne 2015 - Henriette Reker becomes first female mayor of Cologne, one day after an assassination attempt on her at a market in Braunsfeld 2015-2016 - 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany 2017 May: City co-hosts the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Cologne Central Mosque is completed. 2018 January: Flood. 13 June: Terrorist plot foiled. 15 October: 2018 Cologne attack 2025 1 November: Torsten Burmester (SPD) becomes mayor of Cologne.
See also History of Cologne List of mayors of Cologne Elector of Cologne Timelines of other cities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia:(de) Aachen, Bonn, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Münster
References
This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.
Bibliography
in English
(fulltext)
in German
External links
Europeana. Items related to Cologne, various dates.