Life in Cologne

The Graduate School is an institution of the University of Cologne which is located close to the center of the city (map of the university) and surrounded by parks. Some important research institutions in Cologne like the Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding Research also work in the field of basic research in Biology.

However, Cologne does not only provide excellent research opportunities. Being one of the oldest cities in central Europe and the fpourht-largest city in Germany, it also boasts of cultural attractions. The gothic Cathedral is probably Cologne's most famous building, but the city is also renowned for its numerous romanesque churches. In the past two decades, Cologne has gained world-wide recognition as center of modern art and modern music, with its two Symphony Orchestras, more than 20 museums (one of them presenting the world's largest Picasso collection), many theatres, hundreds of private galleries and clubs, pubs etc.

Popular culture is equally well represented, as are film, television and radio. Festivals throughout the year are advertised on the Cologne links below.

Classical Concerts	"Philharmonie"
Opera	Programme of the Opera Cologne
Popular Music	Calendar of Events - Popular Music
Theatre	Calendar of Events - Theatre
Cinema	Calendar of Events - Cinema
Museums	Museums in Cologne
Karneval	Karneval in Cologne
Other Events - General Links	www.koeln.de
Collegium Musicum	www.collmus.uni-koeln.de
Tickets for Most Performances	www.koelnticket.de

Getting Around in Cologne and at the University

Cologne is located in the westernmost part of Germany. The nearest airports are Cologne/Bonn (20 min by bus) and Duesseldorf (30-45 min by train), and Frankfurt/Main (1 hour by high speed train). Cologne serves as a major hub in the European rail network, many high speed train connections to all major cities in Europe depart from the central station (information for train connections). For initial orientation, please refer to the city map of Cologne. To get around in the city, it is advisable to use the public transportation system "KVB/VRS" (map of the public tram and subway network).

top