Germany Guide
North Rhine-Westphalia
Rudolfplatz
At the western extremity of the Ring, the series of roads that mark the old city walls, one surviving medieval gate presides over bustling Rudolfplatz. By day this square hosts an organic farmer's market, while the surrounding shopping streets are among the city's best – Ehrenstrasse is young and trendy, while the boutiques of Pfeilstrasse and Mittelstrasse are chic and expensive. At night, this area is the main hub of the city's nightlife, and also of its lesbian and gay scene. At the eastern end of Mittelstrasse, a bronze of Germany's first postwar chancellor (and former Cologne mayor) Konrad Adenauer stands in front of the Romanesque church of St Aposteln. There's a small exhibit on the church's history – including wartime damage and reconstruction – inside. St Aposteln faces out over Neumarkt, the western limit of the central pedestrian zone and an important transport hub.