The German city of Cologne, situated on the banks of the Rhine, is chockablock with churches of historical and touristic interest, including Germany's most visited building, the Cologne Cathedral.
Among the churches are the so-called 12 Romanesque Churches, built between the mid-11th and the 13th centuries, predating the cathedral. Our guide explained that the city was the site of an evocative legend: the martyrdom of St. Ursula and 10 or 11 -- or 11,000 -- virgins. The stories varied, but, our guide said, the church fathers saw a "window of opportunity": They had lots of martyrs to celebrate through the construction of churches, and lots of relics to put in them. This attracted the desired pilgrims and helped make Cologne a large and prosperous medieval religious center.
As for the cathedral, our guide said, it was "built around stolen goods." The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa returned to German lands in 1164 from a conquest in Milan carrying the purported relics of the Three Magi. It took more than 600 years to build the cathedral -- from 1248 to 1880, including a hiatus of nearly 300 years -- but today the relics rest in a golden shrine on view to all.
Private sightseeing a la carte
These lively slants on Cologne's history were courtesy of Bernard, a tour guide lined up by Travel Bound for a travel companion and me. We sampled the operator's private sightseeing service, one of several Cologne tour components that Travel Bound sells through agents. Other touring options are daytime or evening cruises on the Rhine, including an evening sailing that offers dancing, a buffet and drinks.
Cologne, with a population of 1 million, is a bustling, commercial city mostly built/rebuilt after World War II because 72% of the municipal area had been destroyed, including 90% of the city center.
Attractions in the Old Town area, near the cathedral and along the Rhine, are within walking distance of one another.
However, the city was larger during medieval times. Its 40,000 inhabitants were protected by a semicircular wall that extended almost five miles, with the river closing the loop on the city's eastern flank.
Cologne's tram/subway system makes it easy to navigate the full extent of the medieval city, but walking the path of medieval walls, most of which were knocked down in the 19th century, reveals how substantial this metropolis was more than 800 years ago. My walk, covering about half the distance, ended at the Hahnentor, one of a handful of surviving medieval gates.
For more on travel to Germany and Cologne, visit www.cometogermany.com. For Travel Bound, visit http://rbs.booktravelbound.com.