CChronica Maps

Cologne: History, Former Names & Timeline

A Roman colony on the Rhine and one of the largest cities of medieval Germany; its Gothic cathedral took six centuries to finish.

Map showing Cologne in 1200Cologne
Border map for 1200. See Europe in 1200.

Explore Cologne in the interactive map

Former names of Cologne

FromNameNote
AD 50Colonia AgrippinaRoman colonia
1000Köln

Timeline of Cologne

YearEvent
AD 50Emperor Claudius raises it to a Roman colonia
1248Foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral is laid
1880Cologne Cathedral is completed

Who ruled Cologne

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

PeriodState
500 BC–401 BCUnclaimed / no data
400 BC–324 BCHallstatt culture
323 BC–2 BCUnclaimed / no data
1 BC–299Roman Empire
300–399Rome (Constantinus)
400–499Franks
500–599Saxons
600–799Frankish Kingdom
800–899Carolingian Empire
900–999East Francia
1000–1782Holy Roman Empire
1783–1879Prussia
1880–1913Germany
1914–1919German Empire
1920–1944Germany
1945–1959Germany (UK)
1960–1993West Germany
1994–todayGermany

Battles and sites near Cologne

Landmarks in and around Cologne

Nearby cities