WORLD CUP COMPANION EVENTS

In tune with the tournament

During the World Cup, Cologne (Köln) is partying as if it's Mardi Gras all over again. In places such as the Heumarkt and Roncalli Square, where large screens command the scene, Rose Monday parade-strength crowds are expected. But the city offers much more. La Ola Colonia, an event stage with a wave design, hosts an array of hands-on activities as it moves through the city center. Those who would rather enlist divine support for their teams can lean on the "First World Cup Studio of the Churches" at the DomForum, where the games are shown on big screens. The Urban Stylez Festival brings together West African, French reggae and hip hop stars on Roncalli Square for the contest between France and Togo (June 23). Young ensembles from Korea, the United States, England, the Netherlands and Sweden highlight the Cologne Jazz Nights, which kick off at the Music College and continue in various venues (June 30 to July 7). Cologne's rich music scene dominates the performance program at Colourscape, a walk-in light sculpture on Neumarkt Square (July 1 to 9). Visitors to the AcrobatGlobe on Offenbach Square, an oversized football set-up made of aluminum bars, experience a mixture of artistry and music (June 17 to 22), as do guests of the Pusteblume Summer Theater on Frangenheimstrasse, where youth groups including disabled children offer top-flight performances (June 19 to 22). The Eifelturm Theater also is showing a play in tune with the tournament: "The Phantom of the Stadium" (June 8 to July 9). First-class exhibitions round out the menu in Cologne. Even before the first kickoff, "Global Players" traces the careers of German football players abroad at the Deutsche Sport & Olympia Museum (March 4 to June 5). The history of the Müngersdorf Stadium from 1923 to 2006 is on display at the Historische Stadtarchiv (April 27 to July 7), and the Sporthochschule foyer uses digital technology to trace the evolution of World Cup stadiums (June 8 to July 10).

SIGHTS

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL

Domforum, Phone 0221/92 58 47-20

The massive Gothic church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the shrine of the Three Wise Men and a treasure vault. Climbing the south tower is well worth the effort.

DEUTSCHES SPORT & OLYMPIA MUSEUM

Rheinauhafen 1, Phone 0221/33 60 90

Impressive exhibition on the history of sports from antiquity to the present.

RESTAURANTS

LE MOISSONNIER

Krefelder Strasse 25, Phone 0221/72 94 79

Fine bistro dining in a lovely Art Nouveau setting.

SORGENFREI

Antwerpener Strasse 15, Phone 0221/355 73 27

Plain white walls and light-colored furniture make this restaurant popular with the TV and advertising crowd.

PUBS

ROSEBUD

Heinsbergstrasse 20, Phone 0221/240 14 55

The clientele: Hollywood actors, sports reporters, Cologne soap-opera stars - and students during happy hour.

COELLNER

Ubierring 22, no phone

For night owls or early risers: The in-crowd meets here after 2 a.m., when the party really gets started. Garish 1970s-style design.

SHOPPING

TASCHEN

Hohenzollernring 28, Phone 0221/257 33 04

The flagship of world-famous publisher Benedikt Taschen. Spread over three floors, the store sells the biggest, best and most unusual coffee-table books in the world.

GUMMI GRÜN

Richmodstrasse 1, Phone 0221/25 30 46

Iconic corner shop that has managed to exist for more than 100 years, defying the changing zeitgeist. The place to go for mouse traps, boots, rain capes and all things rubber.