"The River Rhine, it is well known, doth wash your city of Cologne; But tell me, nymphs: what power divine shall henceforth wash the River Rhine?"
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge==================================================================
(in western Germany) The federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia is bordered by the states of Lower Saxony to the north and northeast, Hessen to the east, and Rhineland-Palatinate to the south, and by the countries of Belgium to the southwest and the Netherlands to the west. The state was created in 1946 through the amalgamation of the former Prussian province of Westphalia and the northern portion of the Prussian Rhine province. The principalities that existed until about 1800 in the area are recalled by regional names: Münsterland in the north, Sauerland in the southeast, and Berg in the vicinity of the cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne.
+ The most populous and westernmost of Germany's federal states, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is one of Europe's most highly industrialized areas, with 30 cities of more than 100,000 people. Cologne is the state's biggest city, and the capital is Dusseldorf. Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, is also here. All three are part of the Rhine-Ruhr region of nearly 12 million people -- one of Europe's biggest metropolitan areas.
+ Pictured here is Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany. The historic, cultural, and economic capital of the Rhineland. Cologne's commercial importance grew out of its position at the point where the traffic artery of the Rhine River intersected one of the major land routes for trade between western and eastern Europe. In the Middle Ages it also became an ecclesiastical center of significance and an important center of art and learning. This rich and varied heritage is still much in evidence in present-day Cologne, despite the almost complete destruction of its Inner City during World War II. Cologne is the seat of a university and the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop. Its cathedral, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996; it is the city’s major landmark and unofficial symbol.
+ Cologne is located about 21 miles (~34 km) northwest of Bonn and 25 miles southeast of Düsseldorf. It lies 65 meters above sea level, just below where the Rhine enters the fertile North German Plain. (The river at this point is navigable to seagoing vessels). The immediate surroundings of Cologne are varied. The attracive hills of the Bergisches Land lie to the east, while on the west is another group of hills forming a chain called the Ville. The North German Plain stretches away to the north and northwest, and the Rhine Valley winds to the southeast toward Bonn.
+ Cologne offers a mother lode of attractions, led by its cathedral with filigree twin spires that dominate the skyline. The city’s museum landscape is especially strong when it comes to art, but also has something in store for fans of chocolate, sports, and even Roman history.
+ The most populous and westernmost of Germany's federal states, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is one of Europe's most highly industrialized areas, with 30 cities of more than 100,000 people. Cologne is the state's biggest city, and the capital is Dusseldorf. Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, is also here. All three are part of the Rhine-Ruhr region of nearly 12 million people -- one of Europe's biggest metropolitan areas.
+ Pictured here is Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany. The historic, cultural, and economic capital of the Rhineland. Cologne's commercial importance grew out of its position at the point where the traffic artery of the Rhine River intersected one of the major land routes for trade between western and eastern Europe. In the Middle Ages it also became an ecclesiastical center of significance and an important center of art and learning. This rich and varied heritage is still much in evidence in present-day Cologne, despite the almost complete destruction of its Inner City during World War II. Cologne is the seat of a university and the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop. Its cathedral, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996; it is the city’s major landmark and unofficial symbol.
+ Cologne is located about 21 miles (~34 km) northwest of Bonn and 25 miles southeast of Düsseldorf. It lies 65 meters above sea level, just below where the Rhine enters the fertile North German Plain. (The river at this point is navigable to seagoing vessels). The immediate surroundings of Cologne are varied. The attracive hills of the Bergisches Land lie to the east, while on the west is another group of hills forming a chain called the Ville. The North German Plain stretches away to the north and northwest, and the Rhine Valley winds to the southeast toward Bonn.
+ Cologne offers a mother lode of attractions, led by its cathedral with filigree twin spires that dominate the skyline. The city’s museum landscape is especially strong when it comes to art, but also has something in store for fans of chocolate, sports, and even Roman history.
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