Remonter le temps
Did you know? Cologne has Roman origins, as evidenced by the remains of one of the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire! In the Middle Ages, our three Rhenish cities experienced an incredible religious and architectural proliferation at the crossroads of Carolingian influences (centered and basilical plan, lantern towers and tribunes), Ottonian (massiveness of volumes) and Romanesque (choirs with three apses forming a trefoil, semicircular arches, solid buttresses). In Cologne, you'll discover 12 Romanesque basilicas, including the impressive Basilica of the Holy Apostles. St. Martin's Cathedral in Bonn, with its 5 high spires, is another fine example of Romanesque art. Gradually, cities gained power, erecting powerful fortifications to protect their network of cobbled streets, and some became cathedral cities. Such is the case of Cologne, whose cathedral, a symbol of flamboyant Gothic architecture, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its 145 m length and two 157 m-high towers, it's hard to miss. This was also a time of castles and fortresses, such as the mighty Godesburg fortress with its high, circular tower. At the time, Cologne's city walls included no fewer than 12 gate castles and 52 defensive towers! Symbols of the growing power of these cities, town halls mark the transition from late Gothic to Renaissance. Cologne's town hall, with its Gothic campanile and resolutely Renaissance cloister and loggia, is a perfect example. Then came the Baroque period, when castles were transformed into elegant palaces with extravagant decorations and elaborate landscape architecture. In Düsseldorf, the prince-electors designed the Benrath and Jägerhof palaces, as well as the Hofgarten, Germany's first and oldest public park. U-shaped layouts, courtyards flanked by symmetrical wings, the importance given to axes and perspectives characterize this architecture, as can also be seen at Poppelsdorf Castle near Bonn.
Grandes cités modernes
In the 19th century, under the influence of urban planners and landscape architects, fortifications fell, cities expanded and, above all, modernized. In Düsseldorf, parks and grand boulevards now occupied the former defense sector, while new districts saw the emergence of factories, workshops and new port and railway facilities. In Cologne, Josef Stübben, nicknamed "the city shaper", created the great ring roads, forerunners of the future ring road, to which elegant tree-lined alleys lead. After the First World War, Fritz Schumacher was called in by Konrad Adenauer to rethink the city, combining housing, gardens, public facilities and historic monuments. Neo-styles were initially favored by architects, as evidenced in Bonn by the very neoclassical Schaumburg Palace and Villa Hammerschmidt, nicknamed "Bonn's White House"! Railway stations and bridges often offer a surprising blend of neo-Gothic and industrial architecture, as seen in the original building of Bonn's Central Station and, above all, Cologne's iconic Hohenzollern Bridge with its great metal arches. A blend that heralds the modern era to come. Spearheaded by renowned architect Peter Behrens, the Deutscher Werkbund aims to capitalize on the benefits of industrialization while preserving traditional craftsmanship. It was in Cologne that the movement conceived its programmatic exhibition, where astonishing, highly expressionist buildings were erected. In Düsseldorf, architect Wilhelm Kreis made his mark, succeeding Peter Behrens as head of the Academy of Decorative Arts. A blend of utilitarian architecture and Baroque reminiscences, he was responsible for the city's grand concert hall, with its imposing copper dome supported by 16 concrete pillars. Bonn's parliament building, the Bundeshaus, with its simple, white geometric volumes, is more reminiscent of the purity of the Art Deco and Bauhaus styles. In the aftermath of the Second World War, our three cities were left devastated. Reconstruction became a major challenge. In Cologne, Rudolf Schwarz favored brick and opted for identical reconstructions of many buildings, such as the impressive Roonstrasse Synagogue with its beautiful rose window. But the reconstruction was also an opportunity to embrace modernity, with structures in glass, metal and steel. Göttfried Böhm, winner of the famous Pritzker Prize (the Nobel Prize for architecture), put his stamp on Cologne, notably working on the new urban planning around the Cathedral and imagining innovative, expressionist concrete structures such as the Church of St. Gertrude. In Bonn, Egon Eiermann was responsible for the Langer Eugen, the country's tallest steel-framed building, at almost 117 m!
Effervescences contemporaines
In Düsseldorf, it's impossible to miss the Medienhafen, a completely rehabilitated port district where three brilliant-white brick, steel and plaster buildings by Frank Gehry dance together. The city is also home to the 200 m-long FLOAT Building, divided into six cubic volumes, whose sustainable architecture was imagined by Renzo Piano. And don't miss the unclassifiable Pebble's, whose name refers to its smooth, transparent shell reminiscent of a pebble, and the Kö-Bogen 2, which boasts Europe's largest vegetated facade! The Post Tower, Bonn's tallest skyscraper, rises into the sky in a curved, tapering silhouette, designed by the renowned Helmut/Jahn agency and housing an astonishing ventilation system consisting of individual boxes placed on each floor to prevent air loss. Helmut/Jahn is also responsible for the new hall at Bonn-Cologne airport, where a structure of steel umbrellas creates a bright, airy atmosphere. And Cologne is not to be outdone. Here, you'll find the organically-shaped Weltstadthaus, reminiscent, according to its inhabitants, of a whale! This impressive building (130 m long, with a 4,900m2 glass facade made up of 6,800 individual tiles) was designed by Renzo Piano. The renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is responsible for the beautiful Musée Kolumba. For the occasion, the architect developed a brick capable of adapting to the elegant Gothic ribbing of the original building on which the museum is based, the church of Sainte-Colombe. And let's not forget the Kranhaüser, the iconic crane houses that have become symbols of the city and whose structures rest on 34 stabilizing pillars planted 20 m below ground. Astonishing!
