Belgian Quarter

When it comes down to restaurant density, shopping options and simply to go out, the Belgian Quarter is one of Cologne’s most popular districts.

This picturesque neighborhood is considered a young, hip, and creative quarter for everyone – with beautiful historic buildings, creative independent retailers, and exceptional gastronomy.

From Tradition to Trend

The Belgian Quarter offers a wide variety of cafés and restaurants – from street food to gourmet dining, there’s something for every taste. A particularly high density of different culinary delights can be found on Aachener Straße and Venloer Straße, but many a culinary discovery can also be made in the side streets, where you may just find your new potential favorite café.

Stadtgarten: a green venue with beer garden, restaurant, and concerts

A summery beer garden, a green oasis for a morning jog or an afternoon of chilling in the sun, a venue for music events and parties, and a Christmas market in winter: the Stadtgarten, with its restaurant and unique park grounds in the Belgian Quarter, is a place with many facets and definitely worth a detour.

Creative scene, young designers

As you stroll through the Belgian Quarter, you’ll encounter many small, unique shops – from boutiques, galleries, goldsmiths, bookstores, and concept stores to record dealers. Many young fashion designers have their stores here, as do artisan craftspeople offering handmade one-of-a-kind pieces. Whether shoes, accessories, design objects, and more – everything that crosses the counter here is carefully selected.

Belgian Quarter: location and history

The Belgian Quarter was created in the 19th century as part of the first major planned expansion of the city since the Middle Ages. In the process of naming streets and squares, various themes were used. Due to the district’s western orientation, Belgian and Dutch towns, places, and regions were chosen for the street and square names, which is how the quarter ultimately got its nickname.

Also characteristic of the Belgian Quarter are the numerous houses in Wilhelminian and Art Nouveau style, as well as the generously laid-out streets and squares. These were intended to stand apart from the narrow medieval structures of the Old Town, to be representative, and to enable a new and better urban life for the middle classes.