Cologne
Digital Passport
Nomenclature and Geography
Category: City / Municipality
Summary
About the place: Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia along the Rhine River. It is a major cultural, commercial, and historical center, famous worldwide for its Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter.
Flag Description: The flag of the city of Cologne consists of a horizontal bicolor with a ratio of 3:5, featuring a red top stripe and a white bottom stripe. In the center is the city's coat of arms: a shield with a red chief containing three golden royal crowns, above a white field bearing eleven black ermine spots arranged in rows of 5, 4, and 2.
Symbolism: Red and white are the traditional colors of the city and the Hanseatic League. The three golden crowns in the red chief symbolize the Three Magi, whose relics are kept in Cologne Cathedral. The eleven black ermine spots recall the legend of Saint Ursula, a British princess, and her eleven thousand virgin companions martyred while defending the city.
Flag Description: The flag of the city of Cologne consists of a horizontal bicolor with a ratio of 3:5, featuring a red top stripe and a white bottom stripe. In the center is the city's coat of arms: a shield with a red chief containing three golden royal crowns, above a white field bearing eleven black ermine spots arranged in rows of 5, 4, and 2.
Symbolism: Red and white are the traditional colors of the city and the Hanseatic League. The three golden crowns in the red chief symbolize the Three Magi, whose relics are kept in Cologne Cathedral. The eleven black ermine spots recall the legend of Saint Ursula, a British princess, and her eleven thousand virgin companions martyred while defending the city.
Statistics
Area
405.01 km²
Population
1,084,831