In the heart of Hürth with good links to Cologne

The H+ Hotel Köln Hürth is located in Hürth, approximately ten kilometres south-west of Cologne. It is surrounded by gardens, and is located right next to the Hürth-Park shopping centre, where you can also find several restaurants and a large cinema. Approximately two and a half kilometres further west lie the Theresia forest and lake area, and the Otto Maigler Lake, perfect destinations for a stroll. Cologne’s central train station and main attractions, such as the cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge, are approximately half an hour from Hürth via S-Bahn. The journey by car is also easy, approximately 25 minutes via the B 265.

In Hürth itself, don’t miss out on visiting the moated Gleuel Castle. The baroque mansion was built in 1632. The knight’s hall, located on the ground floor, has a fine example of a “Cologne ceiling”. The valuable murals date from the 19th century. The castle was a fief of the Cologne cathedral chapter from the Middle Ages until it passed into the hands of locals in 1802. 

In 1976 it was bought by architect Ulrich Ahlert, who rebuilt the outer bailey according to the original plans. It now houses a private car museum. The castle is a ten-minute drive from the H+ Hotel Köln Hürth.

If you are heading into Cologne city centre, Cologne Cathedral will doubtless be on the agenda: measuring 157 metres in height, it is one of the largest in the world, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. The harmonisation of various elements in the Gothic style is impressive, not least when considering that the construction of Germany’s most visited sight spanned around 600 years, from the 13th century to the end of the 19th century. 

The Shrine of the Three Kings in the choir room is the largest remaining goldsmith’s work from the Middle Ages in Europe. Seventy-four figures, filigree slabs, enamel bands, 300 gems and over 1000 precious stones and pearls adorn the reliquary of the Three Kings. The journey from the H+ Hotel Köln Hürth via S-Bahn takes approximately 35 minutes.

You can also visit the Wallraff-Richartz Museum & Corboud Foundation, one of the largest painting galleries in Germany. The museum exhibits the world’s largest collection of medieval paintings. As Cologne suffered neither fires nor iconoclasm (the destruction of art for political or religious motives), the gallery’s collection of medieval panels and works by the Cologne School is particularly extensive. 

Also included in the inventory are works from the 16th to the 19th century, the Corboud Foundation’s Impressionist pieces, and an important collection of more than 75,000 prints. It is approximately a half-hour drive from the H+ Hotel Köln Hürth.

If you fancy a stroll, the banks of the Rhine offer the perfect location. Start at the famous “Tatort” sausage stand, and carry on past the Rheinauhafen waterfront complex, characterised by its modern architecture. Head to the Rheingarten via the Hohenzollern Bridge laden with tens of thousands of “love locks”, and stop off in the Rheinpark. The park was redesigned for the German Federal Garden Show in 1957. 

Meadowlands with groups of trees and bushes are interspersed with perennial gardens, water features and hilly areas. Today, the site is connected via cable car to the “Flora” botanical garden on the other side of the Rhine. The cable is 624 metres long, and crosses the Rhine at an altitude of 28 metres. The Rheinpark is a half-hour drive from the H+ Hotel Köln Hürth.

The level of recognition Cologne enjoys throughout the world is doubtless due in no small part to the city’s “water”, or “eau de Cologne”. Head to the fragrance museum housed in the Gothic Revival 4711-Haus and learn all about the history of perfume. It all started with the recipe for a mysterious “aqua mirabilis” which was initially used as a medical remedy before going on to enjoy worldwide success as a perfume. 

It received its name from the French soldiers of the Napoleonic occupation: for the first part, due to soldiers sending the miracle water home under the name “Eau de Cologne”, and for the second, due to the French commander’s order to renumber Cologne’s houses to facilitate orientation, with the house in the Glockengasse being given the number 4711. It is approximately a 30-minute drive from the H+ Hotel Köln Hürth.