Dreikönigenpförtchen

The tucked-away Dreikönigenpförtchen (Three Kings Gate) is the only surviving gate of Cologne's former monastic immunity districts, at whose walls the city's legal and tax authority ended. It connects the Lichhof of the Church of St. Maria im Kapitol with Marienplatz. The name goes back to the tradition that Archbishop Rainald of Dassel first brought the relics of the Three Kings to this church in 1164, which made Cologne an important pilgrimage destination. The present Gothic gate was built in 1460 by Johannes Hardenrath on the site of an earlier Romanesque structure. Above the passageway are niches holding a sculpture group of the Adoration of the Magi from 1310. Originally painted in color, the original figures have been on display in the Museum Schnütgen since 1981, while copies now adorn the gate. After it was destroyed in World War II, the structure was rebuilt starting in 1946. A historic gem and part of Cologne's carnival tradition, it invites visitors to make a short, atmospheric stop.