from ancient Roman ways

The Roman presence in what is now Germany shaped the cultural, political, and physical landscape in ways that continue to resonate throughout the country and Europe. Cologne, Trier and Augsburg began as Roman military camps and administrative centers. The forums, bathhouses, amphitheaters and aqueducts they introduced were revolutionary in a region previously characterized by scattered tribal settlements. Even now, street layouts still reflect ancient Roman urban planning. The extensive Roman road network, the foundation of modern highways, facilitated unprecedented movement of people, goods, and ideas; and Roman engineering techniques, from concrete construction to underfloor heating systems called hypocausts, represented technological leaps. The Romans introduced monumental architecture including forums, amphitheaters, temples, and palaces that gave an imperial structure to urban space. In Cologne, most significant was the construction of the city wall late in the first century CE, enclosing an area of approximately one square kilometer and establishing an urban framework that would define development well into the medieval period. Roman Cologne facilitated exchange between Mediterranean and Germanic worlds. The city’s thriving glass and pottery industries absorbed Mediterranean techniques while developing distinct local styles, creating traditions that outlasted Roman rule. When Roman political authority collapsed in the fifth century, Cologne’s urban culture continued under Frankish rule. The Franks, rather than rejecting Roman heritage, adapted many of its cultural, administrative, and religious institutions.

Anne Griffiths in Cologne