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Aerial View of Cologne, Germany


Cologne is the largest city in the German federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth populated city in Germany (after Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich). It is located within the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region which is Germany's largest and one of Europe's major metropolitan areas. Cologne is about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southwest of North Rhine-Westphalia's capital of Dusseldorf and 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Bonn.



Cologne is located on both sides of the Rhine, near Germany's borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest and largest universities.