Before the Roman General Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63 BC-12 AD) (son-in-law and lieutenant of Augustus, playing a key role in the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC against Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII and the original builder of the Pantheon) resettled the Germanic tribe of the Ubii in 38 BC, the region was inhabited by the Eburones, another Germanic tribe that was wiped out by Julius Caesar during his Bello Gallico (58-50 BC).
In 50 AD, the settlement was elevated to the status of colony, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium and in 85 AD it became the provincial capital of the Roman province Germania Inferior. Between 260-271 AD, Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire.
Under Diocletian (284 AD-305 AD), Colonia becomes the capital of the Roman province Germania Secunda.
In 310 AD, Emperor Constantine I builds a bridge over the Rhine at Cologne and the city remains in the Roman Empire until 459 AD when it’s conquered by the Franks.
The name Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium comes from the fact that in 50 AD, under the patronage of Agrippa’s granddaughter, Agrippina the Younger, the daughter of Germanicus, sister of the Roman Emperor Caligula and the wife and nice of the Roman Emperor Claudius, a colony of Roman veterans is established at Ara Ubiorum. Agrippina herself was born in 15 AD in Ara Ubiorum.
Römisch-Germanisches Museum
Cologne is one of the largest German cities, with over 1 mil. Inhabitants and over 30 museums to visit.
During our city trip we have visited the Römisch-Germanisches Museum and the Dom.
Although very interesting, the Museum has proved to be rather disappointing, being temporary relocated from its original location next to the Dom, to another smaller building, the Belgian House (Cäcilienstraße 46). Nevertheless, here the visitor can find out more about the city’s Roman period and admire, among other things, a rather large collection of marble busts representing several Roman Emperors. We look forward for the day the museum will be re-opened in its original location and all it’s treasures exposed to the visitors.
The Dom of Cologne
The second touristic attraction we visited was the Kolner Dom. As expected, the Dom was packed with visitors from all over the world who came to visit the most emblematic German Gothic Cathedral.
The cathedral with a very long history, houses the Shrine containing the relics of the Three Wise Men that were present at Jesus’ birth. Hard to believe of course, but a very interesting story nonetheless.
Although the relics have been brought to Cologne from Milan in 1164 by the Archbishop of Cologne Rainald of Dassel, their origins seem to be linked to St. Helena’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land. St. Helena brought the relics to Constantinople and from there the bishop of Milan, Eustorgius I, brought them in 314 AD to Milan.
