Sweet Cologne

In Cologne, quirky street names are simply part of the city's history. If you read the street sign “Unter Fettenhennen” near the Cathedral and gaze upon one of the most traditional coffee houses with its rich displays of cakes, pastries, and pralines, you'll understand the Cologne humor. The name, according to legend, actually refers to exceedingly well-fed poultry. Well-fed because it used to benefit from the local bread hall with all its crumbs, thus steadily gaining weight.

Pleasure always has been and continues to be a focus in Cologne—whether at Unter Fettenhennen on the terrace of Café Reichard with a view of the Cathedral or at other places in Cologne's breweries or top gastronomy restaurants. The entertaining confectionery tour is all about sweet pleasure, offering you an afternoon between pastries and stories: with lots of interesting facts about historical extravagances, the representative Sunday pastries of the Cologne people, sugary art objects, or the mini Cathedral to be devoured.

Confectioners Go and Listen to Stories

For one afternoon, the confectionery tour takes you on a culinary city tour into sweet Cologne – into the world of handmade pralines, pastries, cakes, ice cream, and tarts. Three well-known cafes in Cologne's old town are on the program with their sweet temptations, accompanied by anecdotes and stories like the discovery of coffee, the world's most expensive cake, and the indulgent chocolate relationship in which Louis XIV was involved at his court.

Tasting, enjoying, strolling, and amusing yourself are an absolute part of your tour.

From Baumkuchen to Cathedral Waffle

You'll learn that despite modern assortments, some regional products have been preserved in Cologne's confectioneries – whether historically or through a long tradition of craftsmanship. This includes the local Baumkuchen production of Cologne's traditional houses. Although not originally a Cologne product, the famous layered cake has been firmly anchored in Cologne since the 19th century and was considered a representative Sunday pastry of the Cologne bourgeoisie.

In addition to classic cakes, you'll surely encounter Cologne-specific specialties here and there, such as the Cologne Pretzel, "Kölner Dom Waffle," Cologne Printen, Dom Stollen, and "Dömchen," small dome-shaped pralines or pastries. They still hold a fixed place in many of the city's confectioneries.

A Short Journey Through Cologne's Confectionery History

Before you set off, a quick look at cultural history: In Cologne, the history of sweet specialties begins in the 19th century – in 1839, baker and confectioner Franz Stollwerck founded a shortbread bakery in the old town and quickly expanded it to include confectionery, chocolate, and candy. From this workshop emerged one of Europe's most significant chocolate companies – and Cologne became the "Chocolate City," about which you can learn more at the Chocolate Museum.

Shortly after this sweet “branding,” the first pure confectionery businesses in today's sense followed: In 1851, Theodor Eigel opened his confectionery on Schildergasse, considered one of the oldest still existing confectionery family businesses in the Rhineland. Mid-century, representative coffee houses were established, foremost Café Reichard, which has been located at "Unter Fettenhennen" directly by the Cathedral with its own confectionery since 1905.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an independent Cologne confectionery tradition emerged: bourgeois coffee house culture, artisanal patisserie, and industrial confectionery production intertwined. In the 20th century, establishments like Café Riese and Café Wahlen joined. And: the story is not over yet ...

Attention: Only in German