Innenstadt, Cologne of Cologne Stadtbahn tram and U-Bahn stations. The Cologne Ring (Kölner Ringe) is a city boulevard, encircling the old town of Cologne. It is part of Bundesstraße 55 and picks up several principal arterial roads, which lead into adjacent city districts. Innenstadt, Cologne Innenstadt () is the central city district ("Stadtbezirk") of the City of Cologne in Germany. The district was established with the last communal land reform in 1975, and comprises Cologne's historic old town (Altstadt), the Gründerzeit era new town (Neustadt) plus the right-Rhenish district of Deutz. Innenstadt has about 127,000 inhabitants (as of December 2008) and covers
History of Cologne In 1074 the commune was formed. By the 13th century, the relationship between the city and its archbishop had become difficult, and after the Battle of Worringen in 1288, the forces of Brabant and the citizenry of Cologne captured Archbishop Siegfried of Westerburg (1274–97), resulting in almost complete freedom for the city. To regain his liberty the archbishop recognized the political independence of Cologne but reserved certain rights, notably the administration of justice. Cologne effectively became a free city after 1288, and in 1475 it was formally made a free imperial city, a status that it held until annexed by