The Cologne Gürzenich has already seen a number of celebrities… The reception of Charles V after his coronation as emperor in 1520, the announcement of the “Communist Manifesto” in 1849 by Karl Marx and the G8 World Economic Summit in 1999.
As varied as the events were, the history of the building, which was built in 1447 in the late Gothic style on the property of the Cologne patrician family “von Gürzenich”, is just as eventful - hence the name.
From the very beginning, the Gürzenich was used as a festival and representative house for the proud and “high” citizens of Cologne; between 1645 and 1820 it was temporarily a department store, a kind of market hall.
The masked balls and carnival events that have taken place here since 1820 are legendary. But the Gürzenich is also impressive musically, with its orchestra of the same name, which gave its famous concert series here from 1857 to 1986.
And these events eventually required more space, and so in 1857 the Gürzenich was given a neo-Gothic extension with the famous “Isabellensaal”.
On October 2nd, 1955, the Gürzenich was ceremoniously inaugurated after reconstruction.
Since January 16th, 1959, the Cologne trio has been proclaimed here, Kölle Alaaf!
And that is the keyword for our next Cologne attraction or tradition, the Cologne Carnival, I will tell you exciting facts about the Cologne Carnival here on the spot.
Image sources:
2nd image: Gürzenich south side, © Raimond Spekking
3rd image: Isabellensaal, © Raimond Spekking
