The most noteworthy secular edifices are: the Rathaus, the central and oldest portion of which dates from the fourteenth century and contains the handsomely restored Hansa Saal, in which the first meeting of the Hanseatic League was held in 1367. The graceful portico in Re naissance style, and the iplendid five-storied tower, deserve attention. South of the Haitians rises the imposing structure of the Wirzenieh, erected in 1441-52 as a festive hall for the enter tainment of distinguished guests by the City Council, and first used for that purpose at the grand festival held in honor of Emperor Fred erick 111. in 1475. Thoroughly renovated in 1856, it is now the most splendid among the old secular structures, and since 1875 was used as the Stock Exchange. The Templars' Lodge, once the residence of the Overstolzen, a distin guished family of medheral Cologne, is a fine Romanesque building of the twelfth or thir teenth century, now used by the Chamber of Commerce. Of the numerous modern public buildings the most prominent are: the palatial Government buildings (1830) ; the Municipal Museum (1855-61) ; the Stadttheater (1872) ; the Court of Justice (1886-93), an extensive Re naissance structure, with an impressive facade and handsome staircase; the imposing new Post Office (1893) ; and the Reichsbank (1897).
Cologne is administered by an nwister, appointed for a period of twelve years and assisted by twelve assessors. The munici pality operates successfully its own gas and water works, as well as an electric-lighting plant. The street railways are operated by a private company, whose franchise expires in 1916, when the lines will be turned over to the municipality without compensation. The munici pality also owns and maintains a pawnshop and slaughterhouses. The educational establish ments of Cologne include three gymnasia, one oberrealschule. a theological and a teachers' semi nary, and a conservatory of music, supported by the municipality. The municipal library con tains 115,000 volumes, and the museum has a number of valuable collections. Cologne has a fine municipal theatre. The zo5logieal gar den is one of the finest in Europe. The indus tries of Cologne are extensive and varied. The industrial establishments include sugar refin eries, tanneries, machine-shops. paper-mills, dour mills, breweries, distilleries, and several factories producing the celebrated eau de Cologne. The
commerce, both by rail and by Rhine steam boats, is very great. A fine modern harbor, with extensive quayage, has been constructed since 1897. The population of Cologne has greatly increased since 1888, when outlying districts be gan to be annexed to the city. In that year the population numbered it rose to 281,681 in 1890, and 372.229 in 1900.
Cologne was originally a town of the German tribe of the Ubii (Oppidurn Trbiorum-). It re ceived the name of Colonia Agrippina, A.n. 50, when Agrippina, the wife of the Emperor Clau dius, planted a colony of Roman veterans on the spot, which was her native place. It grew to be an important city under the Romans, and retained its prominence under the Frankish sway. The Bishopric of Cologne, instituted in Roman times, was elevated to the rank of an archiepiscopal see by Charles the Great in 785. At this time the city was a busy seat of commerce. It entered the league of the Hansa towns in the beginning of the thirteenth century, and contended with Liibeek for the first rank. The archbishops acquired considerable territory, and sonic of them distin guished themselves as politicians and warriors. They took their places among the great princes and electors of the Empire, but were involved in a protracted contest with the citizens of Cologne, who successfully asserted against them the in dependence of the city. Within the city a hitter contest was carried on all through the Middle Ages between the small number of merchant princes and the trade guilds. The Reformation wade little progress in Cologne, and the Prot estants were treated with intolerance. With the sixteenth century began a process of steady decline, which remained unchecked till after the end of the Napoleonic wars, when a new period of industrial prosperity set in. In the course of the wars of the Revolution the city lost its inde pendence, to become part of France. and on the downfall of Napoleon it was annexed to Prussia. The archbishopric was secularized in 1801-03, and the Congress of Vienna assigned all of its terri tories to Prussia. A new archiepiscopal see was created in 1824. Consult: Heldmann, Der Kohl gan and die Ciritas Köln (Ilalle, 1900) : Paget, "Cologne, the Rome of the Rhine," in 116: 235, Temple Bar (London, 1809).