American reacts to Cologne Germany

[@therealdante]

"How long did it take to build?" Sweating Kölner: "...do we have to tell him?" Because of several issues, twists and turns it took about 600 years to build, starting in 1248 and "finishing" 1880. Though with all the fires, bombings and simply decay, that need to be fixed, we are kind off still building it today. I've been to cologne dozens of times and never seen it without it partly being covered for some restauration.

[@kragiharp]

Weren't there several pauses of about 100 years in between?

[@VanezBane]

@@kragiharp there was a complete stop of 300 years from 1500-1800, and of course in between a couple years here and there

[@ShoreVietam]

The break was so long it was hard to work with the actual medieval construction plans that were also partially lost, if I remember correctly. On the other hand, new steel-based construction methods now were available to make a more sturdy and cost-effective roof-construction.

[@maireweber]

the vast majority of this building is so recent, it only feels old to Americans 😆 it has industrial-age metal beams, that's almost like using plasitc in my German mind, more like Disneyland than and actually old church.

[@RichardWitzke]

The Cologne people say, that the world will end on the day that there is no more work to be done on the Dom. 😅

[@klausmalmede4549]

The dark colour comes from the stones reacting to the pollution. The cathedral needs constant repairs and you can see the lighter colours on some parts of it, are cleaned or replaced

[@marcovtjev]

Stone with a high calcium content react to acids in rain from traffic. It can make detailed statues vague blobs in a few decades.

[@red_dolphin468]

@@marcovtjev similar to the liberty statue, which was coloured different in original purposes, but rain and pollution shanged it to the iconic green turquise colour by adding rust on it.

[@alis49281]

​@@red_dolphin468many churches have a roof made of copper. It turns green from oxidation.

[@MrBudgues]

Well, you also need to consider that all of these old buildings in Germany had gone through WWII, with Cologne almost burning down to the ground in its entirety - except the cathedral!

[@fars8229]

Wrong. The dark colour stems from oxidation of iron and manganese. So the main pollutant is the common atmospheric oxygen.

[@m.h.6470]

His description of döner (döner kebap is the full name, but most Germans just shorten it to döner) is so wrong. First, while the original dish is Turkish in origin, the "to-go" variant is very much a German invention: A Turkish immigrant in Berlin first put the components of the original Turkish dish into a sliced open Turkish flat bread and sold it. Second, it is definitely not a ciabatta bread. Turkish flat bread is a thing of its own. Thirdly, it is not tzatziki (which is Greek and usually slightly fermented), but a yoghurt sauce. Greeks and Turks have a rivalry going on, so calling something so traditionally Turkish a Greek name - ooohhh boiii!

[@wombora]

And as a someone from berlin usally the west part of germany is really bad at döner

[@therumor99]

The thing is in Cologne they actually put tzatziki on Döner. I moved here a couple of years ago from south of Mainz and i still feel like its wrong and wont eat them. There are only a few places in cologne that i found that have an actual yoghurt sauce.

[@dimrah]

Also, kabob (English) derived from kebab simply means little more than "meat grilled on a stick" and can come in a variety of forms. Döner, schaschlik (shish kabob), yakitori, saté or souvlaki are all technically kabobs, no matter if served on the skewer, on a plate or in some type of bread.

[@m.h.6470]

@@dimrah yes, döner kebap essentially means "meat on a stick that is turned", referencing the slow rotation during grilling of the meat.

[@m.h.6470]

@@therumor99 interesting. didn't know that. I wouldn't eat that either. tzatziki belongs on gyro - which is similar yet completely different in terms of consistency and spices.

[@thereseh7846]

Die Maus actually comes from Cologne. It's everywhere in Cologne because the TV station that produces it is the West German Radio (WDR) and it has its headquarters here.

[@Herzschreiber]

The perfume is called "Eau de Cologne". The French gave it the name. Cologne in German is "Köln" and the French word Eau translates to "water", so in German we call Eau de Cologne "Kölnisch Wasser". You can fully translate it to "Water from Cologne". It was invented in a factory which still exists today, situated in Cologne's Glockengasse 4711 (literally 4711 Bells Lane). Why did they call it water? Well it was not as strong and heavy as classical perfume. Today, the original is of course still called "Eau de Cologne", but it has also developed to a term used by other manufacturers when they have not so heavy and strong scented perfumes. Lindt chocolate is also expensive in Germany. And we pronounce it "Lint" you don't hear the "d".

[@DenUitvreter]

In the Netherlands we call it 'oleklonje'.

[@red_dolphin468]

and the number 4711 was given to the factory building of it by Napoleon after his conquering and demolishing the Holy Roman Empire (electal Monarchy on its peak, which was French main rival after their revolutionary time.)

[@gregorygant4242]

Yes Cologne the perfume came from this city Cologne.

[@TheMrlkjhgfdsa]

Just to fully nerd out: 4711 didn't invent it, Farina did. They also still exist (Obenmarspforten 21). They have a little museum and offer very interesting tours :)

[@Rico-oz4ct]

4711 isn't the original.

[@Attirbful]

In Europe, most streets were built at times when people were lucky to have a horse-drawn cart. Of course, they never anticipated cars back in the 1300s or, since Cologne has Roman roots, around two thousand years ago….

[@embreis2257]

who is going to tell him? these streets were designed way before cars were even imagined by people in their wildest dreams. 🤪

[@Lancor84]

Nah... Cities in Germany usually had streets big enough for horse carriages, but not every street needed to be that big. Roman founded cities usually had two big streets from north to south and from west to east (in Cologne the Aachener Straße seen in this video is still part of the old Roman east-west street). Most other streets in the city were smaller then.

[@ErikB605]

Most streets in historic centers maybe but definetly not most

[@bambulkomccloud3983]

Actually, the cathedral is neither the tallest (Ulmer Münster is taller), nor the biggest (St. Peters Cathedral in the Vatican) in the world, but it's still pretty big. But it has the largest free swinging bell in the world, the 'dicker Pitter' (fat Peter), buy you can only hear it on special occasions like Easter, Christmas, or when the pope dies. It was not bombed on purpose during WW2. It was used by the pilots as landmark to navigate (not GPS), but it was still damaged a bit by some bombs. I also wasn't really rebuild, but it needs constant maintenance.

[@hape3862]

It _is_ the tallest cathedral, as the Ulm Minster isn't (and has never been) a cathedral.

[@ralfjansen9118]

It has, is said, the biggest facade. The original plans were lost but rediscovered in some attic, so it is authentic.

[@miriamlana833]

It was once planned and named as "Temple of St. Peter and the Holy Three Kings", for the third "Holy Town" (with Jerusalem and Rome), for that it had to be so mighty and impressive with the by far mightiest western facade of all churches in the world.

[@randomone8348]

Ulm Minster and St. Peter's Basilica are not cathedrals (seat of a bishop)

[@lunaris7342]

It is the tallest Cathedral and the third largest Church. Ulm Minster and St. Peters Basilica are Churches

[@INUID]

6:30 Columbus (re)discovered America around the year 1500? For example, the city of New York was founded around 1650? Cologne, on the other hand, was founded around 40 BC. Construction of Cologne Cathedral began around the year 1250. In Germany today we still have buildings that are older than “America”. My small (20,000 inhabitants) hometown, for example, was founded in the year 750, so the "streets" in our "old town" (core city) are still narrow alleys (and almost all of them are pedestrian zones).

[@stefantegethoff5523]

What we call "Altstadt" (old town) in Germany, are usually the medival, formerly walled parts. Around that you often got quarters from the 19th century called "Neustadt" (new town) or "Vorstadt" (suburb) which where built during industrialisation and urbanisation. Compared to modern suburbs built after 1945 with single-family homes or residential high-rises, they can still feel old, urban and quaint. But most of either the old or the new town parts isn't original but had to be rebuilt after the war.

[@Shiron10]

The baggage system in the main station is fully automated. Underneath is a big storage room with an automated storage system. The card is the key to the bags. To retrieve your luggage, you just put the card in and wait about 30sec for your bags to arrive.

[@olgahein4384]

Imagine: Stromausfall XD

[@ChristianBeckerKapraun]

Not to mention, there is the "Kölner Dombauhütte" - about 100 stonemasons and other artisans employed solely for the purpose of maintaining the Kölner Dom. A job for life - or even generations ;) If you ever visit cologne, you can book tours, starting on the roof (!) of the Dom, seeing many truly hidden places inside it. I.e. there is a gallery high above the main room you can't access outside of these tours. You'll see stonemason markings on several stones - even swastikas - which gives a feeling about the passage of time and the constant work on the building throughout. Really, if one get's the chance, book one of those tours. Definitely worth it. About the streets - well, duh... they'd been build hundreds and hundreds of years before even the thought of an automobile. They just had to fit a horse-drawn carriage at worst ;)

[@dnkyhntr]

My hometown....Köllefornia...the wild wild west....

[@hurtigheinz3790]

Köllefornia? Nice! Here in Krefeld we have a district called "Hüls" or "Beverly Hüls" as we call it.

[@martingerlitz1162]

​@@hurtigheinz3790Ihr seid n paar Clowns 😂😂😂😂😂😂!!

[@s.k.2437]

Köllefornia 😂 Komme aus Leipzig. Aber wir sagen auch L.E. dazu 😅

[@Cologne.1948]

🔴⚪✌🏼

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

Grüße aus Heilbronx

[@Shiron10]

Yes, indeed. You would be told to leave if you order an Altbier in Cologne. The servers in our breweries are a bit special. They are always a bit “rude”, but in a pleasant way. You can joke with them and have a nice and honest chat. But they have to deal with drunken folks all day long and won’t take any bs. And a fun fact: if you have a table and order a beer, they will keep on bringing new ones until you put your coaster on top of your glass or tell them to stop. The tab will be written on your beer coaster and you pay as you leave.

[@annasweb]

Additional info: the servers are called Köbes and back in the days (not sure if this is still the case) they were not hired by the restaurant, but were self-employed. They would buy the beer from the location (Brauhaus) and then sell it to the customers. Also a waiter is obliged to the guest, the Köbes to the beer. This is the reason why most of them would not serve you mixed beer drinks like Radler (beer with lemonade), it would contaminate the beer.

[@MrFusselig]

The perfume "Eau de Cologne" is called like this, because it's from Cologne. :D It's not a coincidence. Just like "Champagne" is sparkling wine from the champagne region in France. And Cologne is called Cologne, because it was a roman colony.

[@defender4004]

Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium 😀

[@brittches]

Yay, finally a reaction to my hometown! If you wanna know more about Cologne Cathedral check out DW's video about it. It has not been destroyed and rebuilt plenty of times. It was affected by WWII, but not destroyed. And it took centuries to finish its construction, because they ran out of money at some point, so it sat without spires for a long time, the blueprints got lost and when they were rediscovered in the 19th century they re-opened that construction site. Eau de Cologne is named after Cologne, because it has been a significant city for perfume production for centuries. In German we say Kölnisch Wasser instead of the French Eau de Cologne. The Chocolate Museum was originally run by Stollwerck, a local chocolate producer. But they were bought by Lindt, a Swiss company. So now it's the Lindt Chocolate Museum.

[@voyance4elle]

Yes he should watch the DW video!! :)

[@usul3074]

There is actually a local legend/prophecy that the world will perish if at some point the cologne cathedral is no longer being built or needs to be repaired

[@katringibbins4270]

How long did it take to build the cathedral? 600 years. Yes.

[@bastyaya]

Even though it was not a constant building process... there were pauses of at least 2-300 years.

[@hurtigheinz3790]

Answer for Americans: If Christopher Colombus had started building it when discovering America, it still wouldn't be finished today.

[@red_dolphin468]

632 . ...

[@red_dolphin468]

@@hurtigheinz3790 nah the best answer to americans - longe rthan your home country exists on the planet

[@bastyaya]

@@red_dolphin468 Much more as the US exists since 1776, and not with the arrival of CC.

[@markusgawor9010]

Hello Ryan. The english word Cologne for Köln comes from its roman name: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium

[@PeterR-vt4mx]

The Dome in Cologne is 157m high but the third highest church in the world. The highest church in the world is also in Germany: Ulmer Münster and is 162m high (in the City Ulm in the South of Germany).

[@325im20]

Seeing these tourists enjoy my city makes me feel proud. Once your channels made you enough money to travel to Germany, you have to visit Cologne, it is an awesome and vibrant place - a lot more easy-going than other cities in Germany.

[@KTanit]

Ja, wir andern sind alle voll im Stress und nehmen alles total ernst. Gut das es Köln gibt.

[@breadbaker]

@@KTanit qed

[@mariosphere]

This cathedral was built for more than 600 years, from 1248 to 1880, but with major interruptions due to wars and other reasons. What looks burnt on the facade is actually mainly due to exhaust fumes from the oh-so-popular cars. It is eliminated step by step at a very high cost.

[@carstenr.347]

Not cars, wood stoves back on the days

[@vonBlankenburgLP]

This is also the reason why it has not a wooden, but a steel roof structure. The roof was actually just finished 50 years before the Empire State Building, to give you some perspective.

[@Attirbful]

cologne is not “male perfume” - it is a tonic like an eau de toilette, which is different from a perfume. Perfumes are more intense, made more purified (and thus more costly) ingredients and the scent is longer lasting. There are tons of colognes (and perfumes) for men and women alike and some that are “gender neutral” as far as scent is concerned… Here are the differences: Eau fraiche - The most diluted version of fragrance, usually with one to three percent perfume oil in alcohol and water. Usually lasts for less than an hour . Cologne (eau de cologne) - Oldest term for perfume, used (only) in North America for masculine scents. Light, fresh and fruity, typically composed of two to four percent perfume oils in alcohol and water. Tend to be used in fragrances for younger people. Usually lasts for about two hours . Toilette (eau de toilette) - A light spray composition with five to 15 percent pure perfume essence dissolved in alcohol. Usually lasts for about three hours . Perfume (eau de parfum) - Historically genderless, used to describe both men’s and women’s fragrances. The best term used to describe a fragrance. Contains 15 - 20 percent pure perfume essence and lasts for about five to eight hours . Perfume - A corruption of the Latin phrase per fumum (through smoke). The most concentrated and expensive of all fragrance options. Slightly oilier, perfume, or parfum, is composed of 20 to 30 percent pure perfume essence. A single application of perfume can last up to 24 hours

[@embreis2257]

to know this level of differentiation can be expected from many Europeans (mostly from southern Europe) but certainly not from your average American.

[@Attirbful]

@@embreis2257 why?!

[@embreis2257]

@@Attirbful cultural differences. look at the data. how many [male] Americans go about their day without using any form of cologne compared to Europeans? how many Americans consider using perfume 'unmanly' compared to Europeans? what is normal to many Spanish, French or Italians is a very foreign concept for Americans, especially when it comes to fashion and personal grooming. what you laid out above may be common knowledge for these southern Europeans but earns you a confused shrug in the US.

[@Attirbful]

@@embreis2257 and I suppose that Ryan, like, I hope, you and me are on this platform to learn something new. Nothing wrong with learning that a cologne is not a “male” perfume, just like it is good to learn that such stereotypes ought to be mere remembrances of a chauvinist, misogynist, and truly boring past… Boy and girl scouts are supposed to complete a good deed on a daily basis. As someone working in adult education, I say: learn something new every day…

[@mickypescatore9656]

Hey, Ryan! I`m so happy to see you reacting Cologne/ Köln. (The city were I come from). 🤩😃😘 Yes, Cologne-Beer (Kölsch) is the better choise! 👍Reissdorf Kölsch is very popular and is enjoyed by most people. The chocolade: It`s not just a (little) factory, it`s a hole museum. Very nice! ......And not far away on the other side of the road is a beautiful little mustard museum btw. ! The promenade in the old town along the River Rhine was unfortunately not shown in a good way. You can find an interesting harbour area with weird houses. The other side of the Rhine is also nice because of the good view to the Dome of Cologne and the skyline and because of a nice beach bar. (It`s beside the bridge "Deutzer Brücke"). Some inspiration: A bit outside in Köln-Rodenkirchen (reachable with the tram No. 16 for example) is a tiny beautiful place with small restaurants and real sandy beaches, some meters before the camping place. On the other side/ the right side of the Rhine not to far away is a suburb in Köln-Porz-Zündorf with a nice leisure area with a small harbour, walking lines, just a few small restaurants and cafés, a pond, much green and trees, a mini-golf place, small fitness stuff and a children`s playground. And a few steps away a swimming pool with outdoor area. It`s an relaxing alternative to the big city live, or for visiting before or later. (Maybe later, on your way to the former capital Bonn)! Haha! 😁 (Just some suggestions). Greetings from nearby Cologne!

[@FHB71]

"Streets are build for cars in America" ... well, when you look at some of the narrow roads they are probably way older than the US. Cologne is an old Roman settlement. If you drive 60km to the west you get to Aachen which is the old resident of Charlemagne. When you put a shovel in the ground here, you find something Roman.

[@MrFusselig]

The competition between Cologne and Düsseldorf is not about the beer, it is because of the switch of the political landscape in the region after the war of the Limburg succession 1283-1289.

[@ralfjansen9118]

But Beer is a good vehicle. Cologne is the older and bigger town but "only" a free imperial city (like Washington DC is not part of a state), while Düsseldorf has been the residence of the local lordship (Dukes de Monte / von Bergh) so it became capital of Northrhine Westphalia.

[@MrFusselig]

@@ralfjansen9118 Yes, this is actually the reason for the competition. Although the citizens of Cologne fought on the side of the Count of Berg and Duke of Brabant against the Archbishop of Cologne and the Count of Geldern. They would get freedom from their Archbishop by doing so and became independent, while the Count of Berg became the local lord, who now had to deal with the powerful city of Cologne in his territories. As a measurement against it, he gave the village of Düsseldorf the rights of a city, as a counterpole to Cologne, and every ship that would come up the Rhine river, would have to stop and trade in Düsseldorf first, before it could move on to Cologne. Düsseldorf basically got rich on the back of Cologne, and the citizens of Cologne hated it. And the people of Düsseldorf hated back. But Düsseldorf was never the captial of the Count of Berg. This was "Altenberg" near Porzberg, and later "Schloss Burg" back then close to Solingen (today a part of Solingen). Düsseldorf was just his "trading capital"

[@nbarrio]

It is about everything 🙈

[@rushinroulette4636]

Eau de Cologne litterally translates to "water of Köln". it is still a better name than Eau de Toilette.

[@ceha9517]

😂 I never thought of that.

[@RaoulKunz1]

@@ceha9517 Eau de Cologne today is actually a specific concentration of the fragrance oils first established by Italian émigré Johann Maria Farina (Giovanni Maria Farina) in 1709 to honour his new home-town - it's among the lower, but very fresh, concentrations. The concentration hierarchy works like this => Eau Fraîche => super light, lasts... not long...an hour at most? Just 1-3% fragrant oils. Often found in aftershaves. Eau de Cologne => that's the one - also somewhat weak, but comes in a huge bottle with no vaporizer; lasts about two hours (if the original) => 2-5% fragrant oils. "4711" is the original. Eau de Toilette => the other, maybe even more, known concentration, lasts a couple of hours, though I personally feel it's often overpriced and weak. => 5-15%. Eau de Parfum => now we get to the useful stuff, lasts a fair amount of time and has a decent strength and lasts ~ the work day. => 15 to 20odd% fragrant oils. Elixir Parfum => full blown fragrance, usually inappropriately expensive, *can* last the whole day. => 20-40% fragrant oils. Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

[@Amelie12]

Toilette and Köln are the same.

[@diarmuidkuhle8181]

Only 'toilette' in that sense has nothing to do with toilets. It basically means grooming, like a women will style her hair, put on make-up and perfume etc.

[@martingerlitz1162]

Wo er Recht hat hat er Recht

[@glambertini4709]

I went up the Cologne Cathedral once, I was young^^. Beautiful view up there ! I remember the steps... ouch ! And yes, it's black because of car's pollution, same here in France. It can be washed, but it takes so much time that while you do a portion of the cathedral, the rest began to be black again, a never-ending work.

[@Supermatsch]

The cathedral became dark even before the age of cars. Due to coal heating, factory chimneys and steam locomotives (the central station is very close to the cathedral) at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. But Cologne Cathedral is not being completely cleaned so that it becomes brighter. The parts that are lighter are either figures or places that had been replaced. Yes, it would be far too time-consuming given its size, and the result would be completely mottled anyway, since the cathedral is made of different types of stone. Greetings from Köln (Cologne)

[@sayrocks11]

I was on the tower when I was 17, I think I'm too lazy now, 20 years later 😂

[@carstentripscha4609]

To get an equivalent of the rivalry between Kölsch and Alt, just look at pizza - ask any place in New York to serve you a Chicago style deep dish pizza, and you get an idea of what would happen if you ordered a Kölsch in Düsseldorf, or an Alt in Cologne

[@garry4187]

The bag storage system isn't just a locker. It is an underground storage system inside the train station and when you want to check out your bag it gets transported to that point. Also the Kölner Dom isn't the largest church even in Germany. The Ulmer Münster is taller at about 4 meters ( I think thats 12 foot) taller. The Kölner Dom is black because of steam locomotives back then.

[@friederich66]

Wrong

[@ixthreeme8108]

If you visit the cathedral you should definitely also look at the vaults. The foundations date back to Roman times.

[@Shiron10]

The “Altstadt” ist commonly the oldest part of a town and most often full of historic buildings. These areas are build hundreds of years ago. Some are even older than the US. That the time of building, the biggest vehicle on the streets would have been an Ox cart. The nice and colorful buildings are sadly set for demolition due to structural failure….

[@Der_Freibeuter]

That is pretty wrong. Almost all buildings in the Cologne "Altstadt" (the "Martinsviertel" to be exact) were either rebuilt by the Nazis in the 1930s matching the medieval style or after WW2 when almost 80% of all buildings were completely destroyed. And luckily only two of the "Giebelhäuschen" were demolished.

[@mick-berry5331]

Built ist not the same as build. Grammar!

[@Der_Freibeuter]

@@mick-berry5331 "are build hundreds of years ago". What tense is that? It's neither present perfect simple (that would be "are built" nor simple present (because of "hundred years ago").

[@Shiron10]

​@julianbruggemann8529 that was meant in a general sense for the term Altstadt, not specifically for cologne. I know that cologne was flattened in WW2 and rebuild afterwards.

[@Shiron10]

@@mick-berry5331 sorry that my English is not perfect. For me, it is a second language. Do you speak a second language fluently?

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

First of all, every beer in Germany is 1000 times better than Bud Light or Corona water. Cologne water is and is called 4711, actually the house number where the perfume comes from. And under French rule, the streets and houses were renumbered 200 years ago and that is where the number of this brand comes from.For more than 100 years, the Stollwerck brothers produced chocolate in Cologne's Severinsviertel. Under the aegis of Hans Imhoff, Stollwerck became one of the world's largest chocolate manufacturers between the 1970s and 1990s.

[@MrChili007]

You partialy see bright stone elements at the catherdral. These are replacements or refurbished parts of the same stone which was used for the whole cathedral. After centuries it will also turn black like the rest of the cathedral. Originaly the whole cathedral was made of bright stone. The colour is because of sulfonamides in the air but also because of lichens and algas. Btw. thank you for the nice react to my home town.

[@thkempe]

3:08 That thing in the background that looks like a medieval fountain is actually a full-size concrete copy of the finials of the cathedral's towers.

[@ixthreeme8108]

The build of the cathedral was started in 1248 and finished 1880, so 632 years of building. But the history of the city of Cologne began 50 A.D. and the village is even older...

[@felixccaa]

6:45 I understand how strange it may feel, but pls keep in mind: European cities all were found and grew over time in ages with no cars, only some oxen-waggons maybe, or horse-carridges - there was no need for broad car streets

[@friederich66]

You Mixed find and found. So they we're founded, past tense of to found. Found ist the past tense of to find

[@Uli_Heczko]

Kölsch polarizes. A few years ago, a pub opened in my home town that only serves Kölsch. We call it the only pub without beer.

[@Kompromist]

Inner City Streets for cars are bizarre... Please watch Not just bikes.

[@Selmiraa]

so i am from cologne. the thing with the Kölner Dom is that because of the weather it needs too be repeared all the time. There is a saying in cologne that´s saying if the Dom is finished biulding the World will end. More in a joke way because building in cologne from the city is never on time always 2-5 years + late so yeah 😂 and the trains in cologne are never on time ( i dont now where this "the train is always on time" thing comes from, in cologne going by train is not a good exp. tbh 😂😂) and the name Cologne is from the romen empire. it came from the romen colonie that later became cologne named Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. search it on wikipedia there is evreything you need to know! I am sorry english is obviusly not my main language!

[@pkorobase]

The bag locker is just sort of an computer controlled elevator to the space where the bags are kept, somewhere downstairs. 😅 Cologne was actually founded by the Romans some 2000 years ago, one of the oldest places north of the alps. It also has one of the oldest and most important universities on the continent. Oh, and regarding streets that werent meant to be used by cars - they are older than any car! These streets have been there for centuries. 😁

[@emiliajojo5703]

You might be surprised, Kölsch can make you very very drunk the taste might be smooth, but don't compare it to American beer

[@voyance4elle]

Funny that Lindt is the expensive chocolate for you... I wouldn't consider Hershey's to be chocolate though xD

[@hape3862]

Fun facts: 3:07 Look at that HUGE Stone at the right side of the screen. It is one of three identical stones. The other two are at the top of the spines and look tiny tiny, but they are all the same size. 4:17 Do you see the small organ on the left wall? It itself is 20m (66ft) high. It weighs 30 tons (over 66,000 pounds) and _hangs_ on steel rods from the roof truss (through holes in the vault) 20m above the floor. It is not connected to the wall, there is a small gap over which the organist has to step in order to play. However it can also be played remotely.

[@jennyh4025]

And the organ can play a carnival song.

[@LeksDee]

5:15 "Always on time" might be true if they almost only ride regional trains because those are usually on time. Although i might add that especially in the cologne area i have never not had a delay with any train so they must've been really lucky.

[@propelakarlson7260]

5 to 10 min are almost normal. It's not seldom especially in autumn & winter that scheduled trains don't show up at all. Couple of weeks ago one announcement said '80 min delay'!!. ..so I'm a little surprised about their statement too😂

[@anita_R]

You need to hear the singing in there! The acoustic is amazing! Oh and outside when it's winter it's so slick like an ice rink. I fell over last year.

[@eucitizen78]

There is something great like that in America. I say America, not the USA. Your continent bears the Great Pyramid of Cholula im Mexico. It is the largest pyramid by volume known to exist in the world today.

[@Nikioko]

2:14: How long did that take? From 1248 to 1880. But the construction stalled for 300 years. Which perfectly describes the history of the city. When the construction started, Cologne was the largest city in modern day Germany. And with the bones of the Three Wise Men as a relic, it was a major pilgrimage site, which made a larger cathedral necessary. And since Cologne was a wealthy member of the Hanseatic League, the rich population could afford to finance the new monument. But with the downfall of the Hanseatic League, the construction of the cathedral came to an end as well. For centuries, the unfinished church was a symbol of splendour in the city. The chancel was finished, and the west work was under construction, with a large treadmill-driven crane on the trunk of the southern spire. The nave was completely missing. After the Congress of Vienna, Cologne and the rest of the Rhineland fell to Prussia. And the new protestant lords, with the upcoming nationalism, decided to complete the cathedral. For this endeavour, Master Gerhard's original plans had to be rediscovered. Luckily, a linen cloth with the original sketch of the west work was found in Prague. And so, with modern construction techniques, the church was finished in 1880 as the highest building in the world, until it was superseded by the Washington Monument four years later. The roof truss is made by cast iron, rather than would, which saved the building from the bombs in WWII. And today, due to permanent restoration, you hardly see the cathedral without any scaffolds.

[@Marcel_5]

Just great to see, that my home town gets an own video from one of my favourite youtubers. There is still much to see, for example the club street (its more like a whole area around the street) is very different at night and some classics like the love brigde are missing. But all in all great to see the city from a different perspective. Also bit scary to see my old workplace or my places to hang out in such an reaction video ヽ(O_O )ﾉ

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

"I would like you to build us a cathedral." "Sure, no problem." "How long will it take?" "40 years, 50 tops." "Deal" 600 years later...

[@PaulWinkle]

Milka is american actually from 1990 on (mondelez kraft foods), before that it was Suchard from switzerland only produced in germany. After 1990 mondelez changed the recipe of the milkchoc and then it tasted like butt-light. Meanwhile they went back, taste is ok again, but still US mondelez

[@maireweber]

The vast majority of the cathedral is so recent, it only feels old to Americans 😆 The roof has always had industrial-age metal beams! That's almost like using plastic in my German mind; more like Disneyland. Truly old churches have been in constant use of some kind for at least 500 years... or more like 1000+

[@jaylambers6081]

Almost every time I take trains to visit my parents I miss at least one train due to delay and get home one hour later than anticipated.

[@Celisar1]

3:17 No, it didn’t have to be rebuilt after the war. Actually several bombs by British air raids hit the cathedral (intentionally, imagine that! Smh) but miraculously didn’t cause too much damage. Luckily it was possible to get everything repaired.

[@elfriedesommer938]

I once sat in a pub in Düsseldorf and the Wirt asked me what I would like to drink. I asked if they had Kölsch and he pointed south and said 40000m in this direktion. I said okay I take a Pils please.

[@Big5ocks]

Haha! I came from Munich to Köln and asked for helles… he said ‘you’ll have a Kölsch!” 😂

[@sabinebreiholz6555]

I don't know how often this couple traveled by train in Germany. The train service is a disaster. I often travel from Berlin to Cologne and back. The journey usually starts late, the train breaks down on the way, too few staff. I actually like traveling by train, but in recent years it's just been stressful because you never know what's going to happen. Delays of several hours are not uncommon. Btw I discovered your channel just a few days ago and I’m kinda hooked :). It is very entertaining! And I like your reactions!

[@S1lentSt0rm]

The luggage storage is basically you putting it into an elevator. It goes into a big holding area downstairs, where it's put it into a storage bin that is associated with the card you receive from the machine. When you put your card back in later, it knows which bin to retrieve your luggage from and brings it back up the elevator. It also knows how long you had stored your luggage for, and thus how much you need to pay. It's a fully automated system and usually works quite well.

[@dafonk1973]

The Cathedral was heavily damaged in WW2. Maybe you noticed a brighter stone on the front of the portal (on the left of the main entrance) - this is called "Domplombe" ("Cathedral filling"). This structurally important part was damaged by a bomb and they had to repair it quickly in between two air raids to prevent the building to completely collapse. After the war and complete destruction (Cologne was bombed 262 times, destruction rate was 95%) the Kölner Dom was a symbol of hope for the people of Cologne. It was one of the few buildings which was damaged but not "flattened".

[@hmvollbanane1259]

11:55 it's not ironic, the term for the perfume comes from its origin in Cologne

[@stuborn-complaining-german]

"City blocks" and roads in towns that date from medieval times or before were not designed in any way, they grew house by house, corner by corner from some wooden huts until they just ended up what you see today...

[@Cydonius1701]

That's not always true. The Romans definitely planned out road lines and land plots inside each 'insula' that the roads created, and there are multiple medieval villages & small towns where similar town planning was done. It was certainly much less *universal* than today, and not everywhere planned in a grid, but there was more planning than is often assumed. I was really surprised to learn just how often planning was done.

[@femaleonthewatch]

I was born about 20 miles from Cologne Center. I remember very well having heard the bells of Cologne Cathedral in our small village, which all together were rung only on Easter and Christmas, as the swinging of the biggest bells endangered the stability of the towers. I walked the stairs up to the bells many times - some of them are HUGE! Der "dicke Pitter" ("fat Peter") and a few of his smaller brothers were the ones that were only rung on highest catholic celebration days - and during the war to warn the people of Cologne about upcoming air strikes. When our new Archpishop, a very conservative one, fourty years ago, let ALL the cathedral bells ring to set a sign against abortion, it was time for me and for many other Colognians to leave the catholic church. I´m not living in Cologne anymore, but I am deeply attached to "our Cathedral".

[@Gajol1000]

Great to see this, Ryan! Cologne was my home for 7 years when l lived in Germany. BTW, Ryan, tomorrow its time for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, this year from Malmö, Sweden. Don’t miss out on that! The big favourites to win are Croatia, Switzerland and - Israel. It will be a hell of a show. Spain is my favourite.

[@berndhofmann752]

Colognes Dom is unique in the world! It was designed after the French cathedrals in Rouen and in Reims. There was a German master builder in the 12. Century who designed it. For me a masterpiece. By the way: the Barcelona Sagrada Familia will surpass this cathedral with the last tower of 171 m in 2026! These cathedrals in France, Germany and Spain to me are the most wonderful to me.

[@rhysodunloe2463]

After Easter and Christmas my local supermarket sells the leftover chocolate bunnys/Santas for a huge discount. I always buy the ones from Lindt not only because they are delicious but they also have a small bell on a red ribbon around their neck/waist that my daughter and I love to use for crafting. At the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg there's a model of the Lindt factory and when you press a button the conveyor belt seems to pack such a small piece of chocolate - which is enormously huge in H0 model railway scale, which is 1:87 - and then one falls out of a dispenser under the model. There's always a bunch of children standing there waiting for their turn.

[@leximatic]

The Cologne Cathedral was build between 1248 and 1880 (with some interruptions, of course) It has turned to it's present colour due to air pollution, mainly in the 60's. When it was finished it was mainly of sand beige colour. But it is built of a mix of many different stones over the time, so if you were be able to remove all the tarnish in one take, it would appear in a mix of several tones of sand beige and grey nowadays.

[@frankovicstirlane9055]

The colour frol the cathedral comes from the high acidity of the rain. The stone used to build the cathedral is susceptible to it. So it reacts with the acid and oxidizes, so constant repairs and maintenance is needed

[@schillersschaedel]

The most important cultural attraction in cologne was a hole in the ceiling in cologne central station. Years ago a man dressed as Jesus took the escalators - there is a viral video of it - and with a giant cross he accidentaly punched a hole into the ceiling. Soon it attracted locals and tourists. Nobody fixed it and over the years it became a sacred meme artefact. This January the ceiling was fixed and the era of this meme came to an end. The Jesus-ceiling-hole will be forever in our hearts.

[@marionschu8372]

The parfume of Cologne is called "Kölnisch Wasser", its from the company "4711". If you like to visit my hometown i would consider you to come in february when we are celebrating carnival, google Kölner Karneval, or if you want to have a more chilled trip with family the best time to come is summer. On the other side of the Rhein (river) at Köln-Kalk you will find the Sünner Brauerei. They have a wonderful "Garden" where you can sit, drink and eat and you can everntually learn about how they made beer. If your kids still love to play on playgrounds you will have plenty of space at Rheinpark, next to the river. We have a ropeway over the river Rhein if you love such things.

[@shilor8351]

First of all, you are absolutely right. The Cologne Cathedral is the most beautiful cathedral in the world. I see it every day and can't get enough of it. Just to give you a sense of scale. The pillar in the background at 3.13 is a replica of one of the tip on top of the towers. It's about 10 meters or 33 feet high.

[@rosshart9514]

Very, very impressive, but not beautiful. Fat, unproportional front and dirty stones. There are so many churches in the world being much more beautiful than Cologne cathedral. Paris? Milan? Chartres? Cordoba? Strassbourg? Siena? Firenze? Speyer? and and and...

[@Shiron10]

The “Hahnentorburg” is a part of the medieval / Roman fortifications of cologne. It is one of the best preserved parts of the old city wall. It is occupied by one of the cologne carnival groups.

[@jennyh4025]

Really? I just know about the Rote Funken and the Ulrepforte.

[@Attirbful]

Ryan, don’t tell us you have never seen a locker at a school, a train station, a P.O. office….?!

[@derwidder1400]

He has never been on a train so...

[@bmkmymaggots]

its an automatic locker there, not a standard one. thats the confusing part

[@bmkmymaggots]

or do you have a automatic locker machine at school?

[@Attirbful]

@@derwidder1400 yes, but I think it is pretty fair to assume he attended school, which in America ALWAYS has a locker system for stuff…

[@Attirbful]

@@bmkmymaggots Come on - give me a break!: okay, then it is confusing that there are different locking systems for things in general: keys, card keys, rotary number dial keys, separate locks to hang onto what you want to lock, digital punch keys…. It is all soooooo confusing…

[@Grotzenkopp]

2 fun things to know about the cathedral: 1) the cathedral was never intentionally bombed, but not because he valued an old building, but because the allied bomber pilots used the cathedral as a landmark. 2) the cathedral was pure white up until the industrial revolution. Imagine travelling to Cologne in the 18th century just to see the massive white glowing cathedral from 50km away already... awe inspiring!

[@Rhys_Thorian]

I live in Neuss which is right next to Köln / Cologne and Düsseldorf. we have breweries here for Alt and Kölsch and lots of pubs who have both and many more sorts of beer. I think it's really neat to have all the options

[@Gandhiweasel]

Hello, Ryan.Dont always swallow the E on the end of a Word! We dont have silent Endings 19:24 n like french...When there stand a E on the End you have to spoken 18:30 ...Straße...not Strass...;) Schokolade, Ende, etc....

[@martingerlitz1162]

Cologne was French for 20 years from 1794. Alsace/Lorraine (Strasbourg) changed to Germany and back before/after WW1.

[@bawrytr]

Altbier means "old beer" but ironically it dates to flood of the Rhine River in the early 1900s. The breweries in Duesseldorf were flooded, but since the locals were still thirsty, they just sold the floodwater in the bottles and kegs. After they'd fixed everything, they realized Duesseldorfers hadn't noticed, so they kept selling it. It should be called "new beer."

[@antrazitaj5209]

The streets in the Altstdadt are considerable older than the existence of cars. Inside the Dom it is really cold, with the size and height and the thickness of the walls. And if you have church mass there, bring a cushion for your knees. These pews are very hard

[@miramuchachito296]

I live in Cologne. They forgot to told you that if you like Party you are in the right place here. Less hype that Berlin but wild nightlife. I love Cologne.

[@Treppenhochgeher]

Dude ! Please visit Germany with your family and make a little vlog! That would be great! Love your reactions! You're a good guy!

[@holgerfiergolla2749]

So much for the topic of "Kölsch": a man from Cologne, a man from Düsseldorf and a man from Munich come into a bar. The man from Cologne orders a Kölsch, the man from Düsseldorf an Alt and the man from Munich a lemonade. The other two look at the man from Munich in surprise. The man from Munich says: well, if you don't drink beer, then I won't drink any either.

[@solidsteel3634]

That' what i said too as i visited Cologne early 2000 😂

[@AE-uw2rd]

Der ist super. 😂😂😂

[@kollateralschadensbegrenzu4929]

4711 is a perfume made in Cologne. It is world wide renowned in a degree, that "Cologne" became a word for perfume. 4711 has an odor based on the odor of roses I'd say. Long time I would have associated it with old women, but I think today it is fresh for young people again. The name: when Napoleon was here he installed his street system in Cologne and the houses got numbers ... that is where 4711 comes from. It was the French house number.

[@olgahein4384]

Btw, 'Lindt' (Lindt & Sprüngli AG) is indeed a swiss chocolate company, but the Lindt chocolate you can buy in Germany is produced by 'Lindt & Sprüngli GmbH', a daughter company of Lindt situated in the city of Aachen - specifically founded for the purpose of making and selling Lindt chocolate in Germany by the swiss mother company.

[@susannekarnowka5889]

As someone already mentioned it is not being rebuilt (it wss once a few hundred years ago after a fire if I remember it correctly) but it is under constant maintenance. And the black could be described to be like patina as the cathedral should actually be (and probably once was) all white. The Cologne Cathedral belongs to itself. It was the only building left standing in Cologne during WW2; as the Allies needed a landmark to navigate

[@matthiashunstock4713]

If you have wholefood markets in Indiana, look for something red in the beer fridges. In Texas I found "Altstadt Kölsch" (brewed in Fredericksburg, TX) as well as genuine "Reisdorf Kölsch" imported from Germany.

[@Nymerya91]

Greetings from Cologne, glad you liked the Kölner Dom!

[@rhysodunloe2463]

The best known eau de cologne brand in Germany is 4711 (Siebenundvierzig-elf) also known as Kölnisch Wasser, which is simply German for eau de cologne - water from cologne. But the German name for thid kind of perfume is simply Duftwasser - scent water. The number in the brand name refers to the adress of the old company headquarters by the way. Fun fact: Eau de Cologne was originally invented at the beginning of the the 18th century by an Italian - Giovanni Maria Farina - who lived in Cologne at that time. So apart from the name there were no French involved.

[@techmed-rainer]

Danke!

[@PhilHuwald]

2:14 600 years

[@Rick2010100]

The dome is made of sandstone and sandstone oxidizes, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending on how many oxidizing substances are contained in the sandstone. Minerals containing iron and manganese such as goethite, hematite or pyrite oxidize and color sandstone reddish brown, dark brown to black. Rain or moisture penetrates a bit into the sandstone, dissolves the oxidants, which then oxidize on the surface.

[@SciDOCMBC]

5:13 It depends on which train you take. Long-distance trains within Germany are extremely punctual. However, if you take the local train, things get a little worse. I can no longer count how many times I have sat on an S-Bahn in Munich. But that was usually due to the weather (severe frost or snowfall), or the most common reason why the Munich S-Bahn is delayed ==> suicide, when people throw themselves onto the tracks.

[@magnustool]

Hi, Ryan... Welcome in my hometown! The luggage storage at Cologne Central Station is very interesting. The suitcase is taken via an elevator to an underground shelving system, where it is transported by AI-van to an empty space. Similar to a logistics shelf at Amazon or other large companies. If you want to get the suitcase back, insert the card with the magnetic strip into the reader and the process is the same as storing the suitcase. The system has the advantage of being much more secure. In an emergency, fewer people are at risk. Cologne's old town is not really an old town. All the houses you see here were built after 1945, as the buildings were destroyed by bombs in World War II. *Ayran* - 50% water and 50% yoghurt with a small pinch of salt Magnus

[@LunaBianca1805]

The cathedral isn't the largest in the world, it is the third highest, the tallest is another German one: the Ulmer Minster - I guess it is mostly regarded so much, as it is in the centre if city, right at the main railway station ❤ Not gonna bash in it, as I love this iconic giant, it's architecture and history, just setting something right :)

[@taurus2016]

The rivalry between Cologne and Düsseldorf goes far beyond the different types of beer and has its origins in the late Middle Ages. Firstly, Cologne is on the left bank of the Rhine and Düsseldorf is on the right bank of the Rhine. After the Reformation, Cologne became Catholic and Düsseldorf became Protestant. This is still visible today. The areas on the left bank of the Rhine were also more strongly influenced by France. The left side was more influenced by what would today be called Germany. This only really changed after Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo and the areas on the left became increasingly dominated by Prussia. This period also saw the continuation of the construction of Cologne Cathedral, which had previously been interrupted for 300 years. The fact that the medieval architectural drawings were found again by chance also contributed to this. It was now also possible to use building materials such as steel and concrete, which were not available in the Middle Ages. If you look closely, Cologne Cathedral is a fake building from the 19th century that American tourists tend to fall in love with. In the visible area it looks like the Middle Ages, but in the hidden area you will see modern construction methods.

[@olafgogmo5426]

Düsseldorf has been a Catholic City as well. And Düsseldorf used to be the capital of the Grand Duchy of Berg, installed by Napoleon in 1806 and ruled by his brother in law Joachim Murat. So there was also a big French influence. Why do yo call Cologne Cathedral fake. It's real gothic and real gothic revival.

[@taurus2016]

@@olafgogmo5426 There are 280 years between the Reformation and the Napoleonic period. A lot happened between then. Of course, the areas on the right bank of the Rhine were influenced by France after Napoleon's invasion. Before that, however, it was influenced by German princes with their microstates, who actually wanted nothing to do with France. There are 600 years between the Gothic of the 13th century and the Neo-Gothic of the 19th century. The first construction phase of the Cologne Cathedral took 300 years and three architectural styles: Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Since this building was constantly being built up and dismantled over a total of 600 years, you can no longer say that it is a Gothic church. I called the church a “fake” because the entire Neo-Gothic architectural style is actually a fake architectural style. Because it pretends to be what it actually is not, an architectural style from the Middle Ages.

[@olafgogmo5426]

@@taurus2016 "There are 280 years between the Reformation and the Napoleonic period." Of course, but Düsseldorf was still always a Catholic city. And if you call the Cologne Dom fake, is the Brandenburg Gate fake Greek?

[@jnievele]

​@@olafgogmo5426Of course the duchy of Berg on the right bank of the Rhine (and Düsseldorf) was ruled by the Duke of Jülich, which is quite a bit west of Cologne and definitely on the left bank of the Rhine... But since that's catholic and the City of Cologne won the battle of Dormagen, it's complicated...

[@franznellinger8292]

I forgot some to say....ask me if you need any answer of questions about Germany. I am able to explain everything about all. I saw a lot of your commentments and I like to give a help to everyone

[@germankitty]

Cologne is in the state of Northrhine-Westfalia, and we (used to) have lots of heavy industry ... which means lots of aerial pollution. I can still remember the yellow, brown, black smoke coming from all the tall chimneys until legislation was passed that forced everyone to clean up their acts -- literally. All that pollution unfortunately seeped into the stone and discolored it. London had the same problem, but in the 1970s the city made a gigantic effort and "washed" all the historic buildings so that the natural beauty of the stone was visible once more. I guess a similar endeavor here might either be too costly, or might actually damage the stone carvings.

[@user-ki5to7fw7w]

Doner kebab in this form is technically a German invention

[@fars8229]

The cathedral of Cologne is written off resp. completely renewed every 80 years. During the WW2, the Allies avoided to bomb it, not only because it is a place of whorship but also because it is an important landmark that gave orientation for the Allied bomber fleets. The river Rhine often covers the landscape into impenetrable fog, but guess who/what always peaks out of that peasoup?

[@RenéWeiss-y6e]

There is a lil gross joke going on in Germany it goes smth like “what’s the difference between eating out a women and drinking a Kölsch?“ the punchline would go like „well the first one only tastes like piss at the beginning“

[@youtubenutzer3071]

Well yes, as an cologne citizen I would like to invite those two people to have a look at much more really nice corners of Cologne. On the other hand, Cologne was destroyed during World War II to more than 90 % (!!!), so there was not left that much (When I was born in 1959, my parents had to live in one very tiny room at my grandmas house with two kids, it was - of course - not possible to find a flat or a house, because there where'nt any ...). Nowdays you have to close your eyes sometimes while walking around because of quick and bad architecure after the war. But for friends from other countries I always find very intersting sight seeing tours, cologne habitants love their city. Eau de Cologne is very famous, and the original house of this manufacure is so cute, really should have been metioned.

[@Alyssav90]

I'm just gonna leave this here because I was off from work the last 2 weeks and I was in Leiden, The Netherlands, in a Dunkin' Donuts getting coffee and there was an American lady kind of almost yelling (lol): "Wow!! The toilets here are the exact same as ours in the US!" With this surprised Pikachu face. I am not kidding you, I thought this was so funny! Yeah we also go to the toilet ngl😅 I love you guys!😅

[@Kivas_Fajo]

You need to try Lindt 70 % cocoa mild. That is extraordinary good dark chocolate. Also worth a try is a Lindt Mousse au chocolat dark or milk chcolate bar.