Skip to main content
Photography by Manfred Wegener

A taste of my neighbourhood...

|   People

...Old Town — Johannes Müller is the managing director of Kölnticket

As the managing director of Kölnticket, I’ve been working in the Old Town since 2002 so I know it very well. Even after so many years I still get excited about working in the heart of the city. Other people travel miles just to set eyes on it, but I’m lucky enough to have Cologne Cathedral right in front of my nose on a daily basis. I have a front-row seat for everything here — be it demonstrations or carnival processions. 150 people work at Kölnticket, 60 in the call centre alone. Most of them come by public transport or bike and go down into the Old Town or to the Rhine in their breaks. There’s not quite as much choice as in Düsseldorf’s Old Town, but we have a few decent restaurants here too — everything from Thai takeaways and rustic breweries to fine dining. The food is also good at Ludwig im Museum at Heinrich-Böll-Platz, and at WDR Funkhaus at Wallrafplatz. Personally, I’m a huge fan of heinzhermann (Johannisstr. 64) and maiBeck (Am Frankenturm 5). Next door to that is Em Krützche (Am Frankenturm 1–3), where Cologne’s more well-heeled families come to celebrate their children’s communions. Hardly anything has changed over the years. It’s just like it was 80 years ago and simply oozes tradition. Sometimes I also like to go with colleagues to Brauhaus Sion (Unter Taschenmacher 5–7) for a quick bratwurst. Behind that is a small, really good Lebanese place called Beirut (Buttermarkt 3), which is definitely worthy of a mention here. Another tip is the breakfast at Hotel Mondial (Kurt-Hackenberg-Platz 1), which has a huge choice of cold cuts and cheeses. However, at 27 euros a head, you’d have to be a real breakfast enthusiast! For an after-work drink, we’ll pop over the Hohenzollern Bridge and the other side of the Rhine to Grissini in front of the Hyatt (Kennedy-­Ufer 2a). The perfect way to round off the day is with Cologne’s most impressive panorama in front of you!

Back