Ehrenfeld

What makes it special

Heliosstraße, a short stretch of street near Köln-Ehrenfeld station, is held as the spot where street art first came into Cologne. Many local artists still use it as an open gallery for their work.

More murals cover the walls around the Bürgerzentrum Ehrenfeld and along Venloer Straße. Many of them trace back to CityLeaks, a biennial urban arts festival.

The Helios tower is a lighthouse that a factory for electrical installations built around 1895 to demonstrate its product. The area around the tower is full of artworks, and one mural in the district pays tribute to the Helios works.

In 1957 Germany's first supermarket opened in the former Helios production halls. The old assembly hall serves as shop space today.

Live Music Hall is a concert and club venue that pairs industrial architecture with modern light and sound. Artheater puts on club nights and concerts, and Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld is another club in the district.

Visiting

Start at Köln-Ehrenfeld station with the painted railway arches by the tracks. Then walk Heliosstraße, near the station, and find the Helios tower.

From there, head towards the Ehrenfeldgürtel, where more street art turns up, and walk along Venloer Straße. Turn into Körnerstraße, a residential street hung with bunting and lined with cafés serving brunch, and stop there for coffee.

After dark, go on to Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld and the bars on Bartholomäus-Schink-Straße, or to Live Music Hall at Lichtstraße 30.

Tips

The Cologne Tourism website, koelntourismus.de, has a digital Urban Art Map, an overview of murals and other urban art in each district of the city. Open the Ehrenfeld section to plan which walls to look for.

The large murals are easy to find on your own. Go on foot or by bike, since the art is spread across several streets.