The former location of Underground, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

EX-Un­der­ground


Bloom­ing waste­land

Ehrenfeld was a problem area until well into the 80s. Since the 1970s, corporate closures, high unemployment and run-down streets have shaped the formerly thriving working-class district: just the right terrain for subculture wild minds and loud music, as low rents and vacant industrial buildings attracted cultural workers and students. Opened in 1988 the club Underground was the go-to place for punks and rocker, which made the club well know far beyond Cologne. Like no other venue in the city, the Underground therefore stands for the sociocultural importance of cultural institutions for a district.

On the factory site of the former Helios AG, the Underground consisted of two club stages, a car repair shop and a large beer garden. A popular pub with demolition charm was to be found here as well as a laundry. Later there was also a tattoo parlor and dining options. The Underground became a living room for punk, metal and hard rock fans. The small club gained international renown through a variety of WDR Rockpalast shows.

Several other cultural sites flourished close by. Ateliers, theaters such as the Artheater and program cinemas such as the Cinenova opened, clubs such as the Loft, the Live Music Hall and the Sonic Ballroom were founded. They all helped to revitalize the district culturally. More than 10,000 events took place in the Underground until its closure. Also, because of the special atmosphere, that helped artists and fans to linger, the Underground allowed a close, creative exchange between music lovers and artists. In 2017 the club was closed. On the Helios site, the construction of a school is planned. Ultimately, a circle closes, because the formerly poor part of the city has become a booming, modern district, thanks in particular to the flourishing, independent culture. In this new, gentrified district, however, the potential building land has become precious, while the available spaces for subculture are becoming scarcer. In the course of this urban transformation, Cologne lost one of its formative subcultural places with the Underground.

Further information:
Vogelsanger Str. 200, 50825 Cologne

www.underground-cologne.de

The Underground before it was torn down, © Tourismus NRW e.V.
Todays building site at former Underground, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

All Pop-Spots of Co­logne

The entrance of King Georg, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

King Georg

The over­di­men­sioned neon sign in­dic­ates a scruffy dive but leads the way to one of the city's hot­test elec­tro and live clubs.

Read more
The streetview of Parallel Records, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Par­al­lel Re­cords

This is how it's sup­posed to be: Who­ever enters Par­al­lel with dis­tinct ideas, leaves with a tote bag full of find­ings.

Read more
The Tsunami Club with its window front, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Tsunami Club

The "art house cinema among the clubs" is all about concept and sub­stance and less about dress code.

Read more
The streetview of Lukastraße, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Ru­ine

The Ru­ine used to be Co­logne's first loc­a­tion for techno. Still today many il­leg­al raves are be­ing cel­eb­rated - mainly on the right side of the river.

Read more
The streetview of the Loft entrance, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Loft

One of Europe's most sig­ni­fic­ant jazz clubs is a labor­at­ory for ex­cit­ing sounds between new mu­sic, jazz and clas­sic.

Read more
The streetview towards the Sonic Ballroom, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Son­ic Ball­room

The rough Son­ic Ball­room duly gives room to cul­tiv­ated noise.

Read more
Insight into the courtyard of Live Music Hall, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Live Mu­sic Hall

The Live Mu­sic Hall man­ages the bal­an­cing act between pop and met­al- party.

Read more
Entrance gate of Heinz Gaul, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Heinz Gaul

The old ma­sonry with char­ac­ter in "Elec­tro-cul­ture-stile" unites elec­tro and hip-hop sounds in the hot neigh­bor­hood of Ehren­feld since 2012.

Read more
The Underground before it was torn down, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

EX-Un­der­ground

There was a time when low rent and aban­doned in­dus­tri­al build­ings drew the at­ten­tion to wild minds who flour­ished this cul­tur­al bi­otope.

Read more
The Helios light house in Cologne, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

He­lios Leucht­turm

Ehren­feld is all about the 44 meter high tower, even though there is noth­ing go­ing on in this in­dus­tri­al monu­ment.

Read more
The view of CBE from the street, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Club Bahnhof Ehren­feld

Con­certs, parties, flea mar­kets, po­etry slams, ex­hib­i­tions or re­cord ex­changes. It's al­ways worth check­ing the pro­gram.

Read more
The Stadtgarten ("City garden"), © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Stadtgarten/Stu­dio 672

With more than 400 events is the Stadtgarten one of the most vi­brant cul­tur­al spaces in Co­logne and the nuc­le­us of the c/o Pop.

Read more
The streetview of the (former) Basement, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

EX-Base­ment

This base­ment-club is where the cru­cial en­counter between Wolfgang Nie­deck­en and Klaus "Ma­jor" Heuser took place. The out­come: BAP.

Read more
The house wall of Kompakt, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Kom­pakt

Kom­pakt - as a la­bel, book­ing agency and re­cord store - is the epi­tome of the "Sound of Co­logne".

Read more
Front of Hallmackenreuther, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Hall­mack­en­reuth­er

While cur­rently closed, the Hall­mack­en­reuth­er used to provide for the per­fect in­tro in­to a long night.

Read more
The entrance to Six Pack, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

Six Pack

Co­logne's biggest fridge: Long nights with hand­some bar­tenders, elec­tron­ic mu­sic and a light green wood­ruff schnaps called Flimm.

Read more
Busy Hohenzollernring, © Tourismus NRW e.V.

The Rings

In the midst of roar­ing en­gines, stu­dent clubs, part-time celebrit­ies and memor­ies of the city's first techno club.

Read more
The so called Bermuda triangle at Schaafenstraße, © Andreas Möltgen

Schaafen­straße

This is where the party mood of the LGB­TQ- com­munity col­lides with the "Köl­ner" pleas­ure in singing, dan­cing and sway­ing.

Read more
The Luxor in Cologne., © Copyright für "Luxor"

Luxor

Le­gend has it that Joe Cock­er got re­jec­ted at the door, Whit­ney Hou­s­ton turned up in­cog­nito and the Pogues re­quired 20 crates of beer back­stage.

Read more