Cologne - Kranhäuser

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

Cologne´s "Rheinauhafen", the former harbour was developed during the 1880s on the bank of the Rhine. It spanned about 2kms along the river

A "Rheinauhafen" redevelopment project and reconstruction started in 2002 and was completed 2011. While the formerly commercial port is now being used as a marina, most buildings (some are former wharehouses) house numerous prestigious companies, posh flats and expensive restaurants.

In the center are the three Kranhäuser ("crane houses") that were completed in 2008. Their shape, an upside-down "L", is reminiscent of the harbor cranes that were once used to load cargo from and onto ships in the old "Rheinauhafen". Some really expensive real estate..