Cologne - Christmas Market at Rudolfplatz and the Cathedral

Tuesday, 23 December 2025 00:00
Written by Portal Editor

Cologne - The pre-Christmas meeting with a future project partner prompted us to set off for Cologne early in the morning.

Light truck traffic and otherwise good driving conditions made it possible to arrive in Cologne even before the agreed meeting time. So what could be more natural than taking a short stroll through Cologne's city centre before our scheduled meeting, especially since we had arranged to meet at Rudolfplatz?

Naturally, our first glance fell upon the small Christmas market at the Hahnentorburg, which was just beginning to come to life.

Right in front of the Hahnentor, the Santa Claus Village transports early morning visitors to a world of its own. The market organizers place particular emphasis on being family-friendly. Sixty half-timbered houses, resembling traditional stalls, create a festive atmosphere. Cast-iron benches invite visitors to linger while strolling. Hundreds of thousands of LED lights create a cozy atmosphere, not only on the stalls but also in the treetops.

Families with children can take advantage of the supervised and free creative activities in the heated Santa Claus House: crafting, writing letters to Santa, and working with painters, illustrators, and photographers – all this is possible there. On Sundays, there are readings by children's book authors. Santa Claus visits every day at 5 p.m.

A variety of musical artists perform on the stage in the Santa Claus Village in Cologne: for example, The Voice Factory, Altreucher, Die Flöckchen, Die 3 Colonias, and Dat kölsche Rattepack. Choirs can also be heard, including the Cäcilia Singers, Südstadtchor, Sing to Soul, Kammerchor Konstant, Kölner Frauenchor 1930, and Gospelchor Brigosco.

The St. Nicholas Village Chapel, built right next to Santa Claus House, with its nativity scenes created by children and young people, is a stop on the Cologne Nativity Trail. The Hahnentorburg (Hahn Gate) is one of the original twelve gate towers in Cologne's eight-kilometre-long medieval city wall (1180–1220) and secured the western entrance to the city on the road to Aachen and Jülich. The gate was built as a double-tower gate at the beginning of the 13th century and was first mentioned in 1264. Similar to this type of gate are the still-existing Eigelsteintor (Eigelstein Gate) in the north of the city wall and the demolished Gereonstor (Gereon Gate) in the northwest.

In the Middle Ages, kings entered the city through the Hahnentor after their coronation ceremony in Aachen, proceeding along Aachener Straße and then to the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral. The gate tower was also used as a prison, notably for the itinerant preacher Adolf Clarenbach and the draftsman, lithographer, publisher, and counterfeiter Jodocus Schlappal.

The name of the large gate may derive from "Hageno von Anselm," a former landowner of the same name from the 12th century, after whom it was initially called Hanenporcen and then Hagenenporcen. According to other sources, the name originates from Hano ("grove"), meaning "wooden gate" or "wooden gate," due to the wooded areas along the road leading to Aachen outside the city walls.

In Arnold Mercator's 1570 map of Cologne, it was called "Hanenpforts," and the road through it was the "Hanen straiß" (today's Hahnenstraße). On the Tranchot map of 1808, this gate was called Porte du Coq ("Rooster Gate"). When the street was renamed following the resolution of December 16, 1812, it was named Port des Coqs or "Rooster Gate."

Demolition work on the medieval city wall began on June 11, 1881, near the Gereon Gate. The Cologne city administration had deliberately chosen to integrate only four gate towers into the new urban development plan: the Hahnentor, the Severinstorburg, the Eigelsteintorburg, the remaining section of the Ulrepforte, and four short sections of wall at the Bottmühle, the Severinstor, Hansaplatz, and Sachsenring, as well as the Bayenturm.

The square to the west of the Hahnentor was named Hahnentorplatz on May 4, 1882, and renamed Rudolfplatz a year later, on December 20, 1883.

Like the Eigelsteintorburg, the Hahnentorburg was also restored around 1890 by the city architect Josef Stübben (inscription under the eagle coat of arms on the outer side: Renewed 1888) and established as a historical museum, the predecessor of the City Museum. Reconstructed medieval catapults were placed on the tower roofs, visible from afar. Besides the Hahnentorburg, other gate towers have been preserved. The Severinstorburg, the Ulrepforte, and the Eigelsteintorburg, along with the Sachsenturm, are well-preserved examples of Cologne's extensive city fortifications.

After a short stroll through the Christmas market and a quick read-up on the basics of the Hahnentorburg, it was just a few more meters to Cologne Cathedral and the Christmas market located there, which had become quite crowded. This most beautiful and famous Christmas market, according to many visitors, is situated in a stunning location directly in front of Cologne's landmark, the Cologne Cathedral.

Under a gigantic Christmas tree, one can choose from numerous delicacies or watch the artisans at work. At 150 stalls on Roncalliplatz, visitors will find handcrafted wooden toys, Christmas decorations made by artists, cathedral-themed speculoos cookies, and much more.

In the centre of the market stands a colossal Christmas tree – at 25 meters, the tallest natural Christmas tree in North Rhine-Westphalia. Under a canopy of lights with over 70,000 LEDs, the stage program, performed at the base of the Christmas tree, can be enjoyed.

By now, it was getting late, so we had to head back to Rudolfplatz. Moreover, the square in front of the cathedral was becoming increasingly crowded with football fans who, despite various warnings and cautions, couldn't resist setting off their firecrackers, causing some frightening moments for those present. Some people just never learn.