The Niehl district in Cologne presented by Fewo Cologne

Niehl is rather unknown to tourists and should not be confused with the Riehl district (Cologne Zoo)!

District number	area	residents
504	12.07 square kilometers	20,000

The location of the district

Niehl borders the Rhine from the east, Riehl and Nippes to the south, Weidenpesch to the west and Longerich as well as north at Fühlingen and Merkenich .

History of the district

The old town center of Niehl was first documented in 927 . Niehl has belonged to the Kunibertstift since the 11th century and this functioned as a parish. Niehl was once a farming and fishing village. Niehl was subordinate to the county or the Hülchrath office. At that time, Niehl belonged to the Electorate of Cologne. The French troops of the revolution did not stop at Niehl either. Niehl was occupied in 1794 and belonged to the Mairie Longerich. Niehl was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. The district was incorporated on April 1, 1888. Niehl was a fishing village until the 20th century. Only then were many large companies settled there. The famous Ford works were founded here on October 28, 1929. There is an industrial park here for the supply of spare parts for Ford's automobile production. With the increased industrialization there were residential areas.

The economy

The German head office and the production of the Ford works are in Niehl. Since 1998 also the Ford of Europe. Cologne's largest Rhine port is also in Niehl. The petrochemical works, a waste incineration plant, the Niehl cogeneration plant (powered by natural gas), the publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg and the large printing house Bauer are located in the district. This makes the Niehl district the most important industrial park in Cologne.

A nice market

The market in Niehl is worth seeing. Every Thursday there is a weekly market here in the parking lot on Waldfriedstraße .

Traffic situation

Ports and Freight Transport Cologne (HGK) connects the port and the industrial area with the rail network. The district is connected to the other districts from two sides by the Cologne light rail network. South with line 16 and line 13 at the southern district boundary. Line 12 extends from Weidenpesch to Merkenich. A necessary extension of the southern route is currently failing due to the poor, financial situation of Cologne. A feeder road with up to six lanes connects Niehl with junction 100 Köln-Niehl with the A1. The Mülheimer Brücke connects Niehl with the right bank of the Rhine.

There are two Catholic churches in Niehl. St. Katharina on Sebastianstraße and St. Clemens on Friedrich-Karl-Straße belong to the Deanery Cologne-Nippes. The Armenian Bishop Karekin Bekdjian lives in the parish office in the former Catholic Church of St. Christophorus. This was rented to the Armenian Church. The Petrikirche on Schlenderhaner Straße is there for the Evangelical Church. There are community elementary schools. The Erich-Kästner-Gymnasium is a secondary school.

Future technology will be used in residential construction

Niehl got a new housing development built in 2009. 383 residential units for around 1000 people are fed with geothermal energy. Holes 100 meters deep were drilled on the site. The heat pumps are supplied with it. The housing estate is in need of renovation. The residential buildings were built in the economic miracle years of the 1950s. Ford factory workers were housed here. Today the settlement is being renovated and a solar settlement from it.

The Carnival in Cologne

The Cologne Carnival is famous all over Germany. In Niehl there are madnesses during Carnival. There is also the Sunday train and the street carnival. Everything is managed by the interest group Niehler Karneval e. V. organized.

Sights in Niehl

The church of St. Catherine was consecrated in 1260. It has a Romanesque west tower. It is the oldest building in Niehl . The old church is also called "Niehler Dömchen". The Förderverein Romanische Kirchen Köln is responsible for the old church in Niehl. It was first documented in 1236. In 1894 the northern aisle was rebuilt. The church is in a flood-prone location. Therefore, an icebreaker with a wall was installed on the church in 1747. A figure of Johann von Nepomuk stands on the wall. Services are still held there today. The church can only be visited when services are held.

The church of St. Catherine was built in 1892-94, as the congregation grew rapidly. The octagonal baptismal font from the 14th century was taken away by the old church. Niehl also has three school houses from the Prussian era.

Accommodation in downtown Cologne!

Do you want to walk to the cathedral? Do you want to walk to the fair? Then book our holiday apartment in Cologne center , then you can easily reach Cologne Cathedral on foot! Simply cross the Rhine over the Deutzer Bridge and stroll through the old town. You have reached the cathedral in about 14 minutes! We look forward to your inquiry!