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".

--
During WWII Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids. The first ever 1,000 bomber raid by the RAF ("Operation Millenium") was conducted on Cologne in May 1942. In April 1945, when the American armee reached Cologne, the city was completely ruined. About 90% of all houses in the inner city were - gone. In 1939 Cologne had had a population of more than 700.00. In spring 1945 there were only about 40.000, living in the ruins. So the very most houses and facades in the ctity of Cologne are - young.

--

The Aachener Strasse follows the antique Roman road "Via Belgica" that once passed through "Aquae granni" (Aachen) in Roman times, when necropolises lined these roads near the city. The well dressed twins, seen here, are only just about a century old. They contemplate about modern times.