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Quiz about Talk of the Town Cologne 501945 AD
Quiz about Talk of the Town Cologne 501945 AD

Talk of the Town: Cologne 50-1945 AD Quiz


Much has happened after the Roman "visitors" drank their very first goblet of wine on the banks of the Rhine at Cologne. Let's go back in time and listen to the talk of the town.

A multiple-choice quiz by heidi66. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
heidi66
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
306,102
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
592
Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (3/10), mazza47 (3/10), zordy (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. One day in streets of Rome 50 AD, two legionaries are talking to each other.

Gaius: "Ave, Julius, do you know where your centuria is heading to?"
Julius: "It's that place in Germania Inferior, the one called Oppidum Ubiorum until lately. I can't remember the new name."
Gaius: "Come on, it's easy. It's named after our Empress, who was born out there."
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In the year 455 AD.
"Looks like these Franks are capturing us, looks like Rome being consigned to history for us now".
"Do you think so? It wouldn't be the first time, and do you remember the stories about the Attila and the Huns? But we were always saved in the long run."

What happened this time?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In the year 795 A.D. a peddler talks to a monk.

Peddler: "So they've made him an archbishop. Is that really true?"
Monk, proudly: "Oh yes, it has been confirmed. Hildebald is the first one to hold this honorable post. Isn't it wonderful!"
Peddler, grinning: "It is always good to know the right people."


Who was Hildebald's (or Hildebold) famous friend?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In the year 1164 A.D., late July in a butchery:
Customers: "Come on, look at your cutlets: they are more bones than meat. Wrap some golden cloth around them and sell them as relics!"
Butcher: "You are joking! That's my best meat! And talking about relics, did you hear what King Frederick gave to our archbishop?"
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In 1288 A.D. near Cologne - at Worringen (sometimes spelled Woeringen), to be precise.

Stranger: "Good man, You do have a lot of military around here. What is happening?"
Local: "You are really not from here! These are the troops of Archbishop of Cologne, Siegfried II of Westerburg, and John I, Duke of Brabant. The town of Cologne is on his side, by the way. It's about the inheritance of the Duchy of Limburg."

Brabant won.

The battle - one of many in those violent centuries - was mainly of importance for John of Brabant, who got the Duchy of Limburg. But it was also important for Cologne's future history. Why?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In the year 1648 A.D.

Owner of an inn to a newly arrived student: "So tell me young man, I heard the war is over now?"
"Oh yes, they signed a peace treaty now. That's good news, isn't it?"

So the Thirty Years' War was over. Compared with towns like Magdeburg, did Cologne suffer badly?


Question 7 of 10
7. In the year 1794 A.D.

In Cologne, near the "Hahnentor", one of the town gates.

"Oh look, there they are coming".
"At least everything went peacefully".
"Let's hope they do some cleaning up here".

They came with 12,000 soldiers through the "Hahnentor" and stayed from 1794 till 1814. Which powerful neighbor occupied Cologne?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In the year 1880 - a reporter in Cologne to his colleague:

"Have you heard? The Emperor is coming!"
"When?"
"Well, to the great celebration, October 15. Completed at last!"

What was completed?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. It is November 1918. World War I is over.

People talking on the street: "Have the British arrived yet?"
"Yes, they have."
"Have they met the Lord Mayor yet?"

Who was the Lord Mayor? He was born in 1876 and was Lord Mayor from 1917-1933, when he lost his job. He was again Lord Mayor for a few months in 1945. In 1949 this old man became the first Chancellor of West Germany. And he did this until 1963!
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. March 6, 1945 - in a ruined house in Cologne.

Patriotic Youth: "Good news, good news! Pioneers blew up the Hohenzollern-Bridge. That will stop the Americans".
Adult: "Oh, really?"

When did the US Army reach Cologne?
Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. One day in streets of Rome 50 AD, two legionaries are talking to each other. Gaius: "Ave, Julius, do you know where your centuria is heading to?" Julius: "It's that place in Germania Inferior, the one called Oppidum Ubiorum until lately. I can't remember the new name." Gaius: "Come on, it's easy. It's named after our Empress, who was born out there."

Answer: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium

It was the tribe of the Ubii who settled on the left bank of the river Rhine after making an agreement with the Romans. That was in 39 BC. Julia Agrippina alias Agrippina the Younger or Agrippina Minor was born there - it was an important military post and her daddy was the famous Germanicus. Later in her live she married her uncle Claudius, and asked him to name her birthplace after herself. Very modest, indeed. After this, the town rose to to local importance.

Putting up a building in Cologne can be risky: they'll either find something Roman, something medieval or a WWII bomb. The last of these is the most dangerous, but fastest to remove. The other two may end in archaeologists stopping the work for some time.

Our soldier might have ended in one of these other three other towns towns in the Rhineland:
Castrum Novaesium which is called Neuss today which has some nice Roman remains and a beautiful minster - and a Sauerkraut factory.
Colonia Augusta Treverorum: the beautiful Trier with it's enormous Porta Nigra from ancient times or
Castra Vetera, called Xanten. Xanten has one, if not the biggest Roman open air museum. It is the only German town starting with letter X and according to the Nibelungenlied it is also the birthplace of Siegfried.
2. In the year 455 AD. "Looks like these Franks are capturing us, looks like Rome being consigned to history for us now". "Do you think so? It wouldn't be the first time, and do you remember the stories about the Attila and the Huns? But we were always saved in the long run." What happened this time?

Answer: the Salian Franks won

And the winner was the Salian Franks. They were quite powerful at that time, coming from a place that is now in the Netherlands. They were the first tribe to settle permannently - in Roman eyes - on the wrong side of the Limes.

They made the town their capital and stayed there for centuries. The Salian Franks can pride themselves on being the root of the Merovingian dynasty.
3. In the year 795 A.D. a peddler talks to a monk. Peddler: "So they've made him an archbishop. Is that really true?" Monk, proudly: "Oh yes, it has been confirmed. Hildebald is the first one to hold this honorable post. Isn't it wonderful!" Peddler, grinning: "It is always good to know the right people." Who was Hildebald's (or Hildebold) famous friend?

Answer: Charlemagne

They were really good friends. Hildebold was the chancellor and arch-chaplain of the imperial council. It is said they met while hunting. Charlemagne was hunting in the woods around Cologne and heard the sermon of Hildebold while resting in a small chapel. He was much impressed and promised him a big reward. But Hildebold only asked for of leather from the next deer killed to bind an old prayer book.

Later on Charlemagne asked Pope Leo III to give Cologne archiepiscopal status. That turned the bishop of the town, Hildebold, into to a very powerful archbishop.

Knowing the right people and helping each other is still said to be common in Cologne. It is called 'Klüngel'.

Hildebold died years after his famous friend. He was witness a to his testament and donated his own tomb in Aachen to the emperor.

The other people named weren't even born when he died.
4. In the year 1164 A.D., late July in a butchery: Customers: "Come on, look at your cutlets: they are more bones than meat. Wrap some golden cloth around them and sell them as relics!" Butcher: "You are joking! That's my best meat! And talking about relics, did you hear what King Frederick gave to our archbishop?"

Answer: the bones of the biblical Magi

Yes, the three Magi, known in Cologne as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.

Frederick I Barbarossa took them to Cologne from Milan, were he had "found" them. On July 23, 1164 they reached the town. If you want to take a look at them, they are still there, in Cologne Cathedral. These relics were a huge success. Soon the cathedral was thought too small for the mass of pilgrims, and in 1248 work began on a new cathedral - the one which is now the best known building in the town.

The three Magi are not the only relics in Cologne. The many churches of the town have quite a lot. For example the bones of Saint Ursula and her ten female companions who died a gruesome death near Cologne. Somebody made 11,000 virgins out of these 11 women. Who knows whether it was just a mistake or a marketing trick to get the pilgrims more interested?
5. In 1288 A.D. near Cologne - at Worringen (sometimes spelled Woeringen), to be precise. Stranger: "Good man, You do have a lot of military around here. What is happening?" Local: "You are really not from here! These are the troops of Archbishop of Cologne, Siegfried II of Westerburg, and John I, Duke of Brabant. The town of Cologne is on his side, by the way. It's about the inheritance of the Duchy of Limburg." Brabant won. The battle - one of many in those violent centuries - was mainly of importance for John of Brabant, who got the Duchy of Limburg. But it was also important for Cologne's future history. Why?

Answer: for all of these reasons

As with all inheritance disputes this was a long, complicated and, to be honest, boring story. And like many of these it was solved violently.

Cologne was already important at that time: Sancta Colonia Dei Gratia Romanae Ecclesiae Fidelis Filia - saintly Cologne, the biggest town in Germany.
The burghers of the town of Cologne were on the right side: their town gained power. It took until 1475 that they had the title of "Freie Reichsstadt" (Free City of the Empire) but de facto Cologne used the privileges before that. For example, they were invited to the imperial diet from 1390 on, something reserved for free imperial cities.

The archbishop, who had ruled the town until then, was arrested and held for over one year. From this time on, Cologne was under the power of the leading Cologne families, and the archbishop had to ask for permission to enter the town.

And there is the fact that some future rivals - mainly Duesseldorf - gained power, too. Duesseldorf was made a town. Ever since, Duesseldorf and Cologne have been rivals, starting with beer - and not ending with soccer!
6. In the year 1648 A.D. Owner of an inn to a newly arrived student: "So tell me young man, I heard the war is over now?" "Oh yes, they signed a peace treaty now. That's good news, isn't it?" So the Thirty Years' War was over. Compared with towns like Magdeburg, did Cologne suffer badly?

Answer: no

True, Cologne was threatened once by the Swedes in 1632. Neighboring Deutz, today a part of Cologne, was even occupied. But on the whole the town hadn't suffered that much. They had to take refugees into the save walls of their town and plagues didn't stop at their doors. But they were never burnt down like Magdeburg and were even able to do some business.

By the way: the university of Cologne was founded 1388, making it one of the oldest. And I honestly hope it wasn't closed down while the war was going on- and my fictional student had a place to go to! However, it did have to close in 1798 and was not revived till 1919.
7. In the year 1794 A.D. In Cologne, near the "Hahnentor", one of the town gates. "Oh look, there they are coming". "At least everything went peacefully". "Let's hope they do some cleaning up here". They came with 12,000 soldiers through the "Hahnentor" and stayed from 1794 till 1814. Which powerful neighbor occupied Cologne?

Answer: France

It happened during the French Revolutionary Wars. Jean-Étienne Championnet was able to conquer the town, without bloodshed. Many inhabitants welcomed their new masters as liberators. And they changed a lot. They placed the Church under secular control, which allowed industry to grow. The Code Napoleon had clear, written laws, the Jews were allowed back in the town (having been expelled some centuries before) and Protestants were given equal rights.

In 1801 every citizen of Cologne became a French citizen. After the fall of Napoleon, Cologne changed hands again: from 1815 on it was Prussian. They had gained a lot, but lost some important books and other artworks which had been taken away by their visitors.

In this French intermezzo something important started in Cologne: "4711" Eau de Cologne. The French gave every house its own number, and the number of the house in the Glockengasse became the name of the brand.
8. In the year 1880 - a reporter in Cologne to his colleague: "Have you heard? The Emperor is coming!" "When?" "Well, to the great celebration, October 15. Completed at last!" What was completed?

Answer: Cologne Cathedral

Yes, the cathedral was finished. It was a major celebration, and Emperor William I of Prussia was there. There even is a short movie about this available. Just imagine: the building of the new cathedral had started in 1248 in the Gothic Style. About 1530 - it was already used as a church - the work came to a full stop. They had run out of money and, anyway, Gothic wasn't fashionable anymore. So there it was: a nave, but no spire. Only a wooden building crane stretching high in the sky for the next few centuries. In 1842, when the middle ages were fashionable again, they started again, using the old plans, making it the tallest building world wide when it was finished.


The first central railway station - next to the cathedral - was opened in 1857. The horsecar started in 1870. And the zoo opened his gates in 1860.
9. It is November 1918. World War I is over. People talking on the street: "Have the British arrived yet?" "Yes, they have." "Have they met the Lord Mayor yet?" Who was the Lord Mayor? He was born in 1876 and was Lord Mayor from 1917-1933, when he lost his job. He was again Lord Mayor for a few months in 1945. In 1949 this old man became the first Chancellor of West Germany. And he did this until 1963!

Answer: Konrad Adenauer

Konrad Adenauer was definitely the oldest Chancellor Germany has had. He died in 1967. In his time as lord mayor he was responsible for the opening of the first official German Autobahn in 1932 - something that the Nazis are often wrongly given credit for. While he was chancellor he worked on a peaceful co-existence with France.

The other gentlemen were his successors in the position of chancellor in West Germany (Erhard, Kiesinger, Brandt).
10. March 6, 1945 - in a ruined house in Cologne. Patriotic Youth: "Good news, good news! Pioneers blew up the Hohenzollern-Bridge. That will stop the Americans". Adult: "Oh, really?" When did the US Army reach Cologne?

Answer: March 1945

They arrived in the town the same day Hohenzollern Bridge was demolished - March 6, 1945. They hadn't to do much fighting - and there was more than one way crossing the Rhine!

You would have had to be very nationalistic and naive to believe anything could stop the march of the US Army towards Cologne. Already 95% of the town was damaged; even the cathedral was slightly damaged. Moreover, many citizens had lost their lives, including the Jews and everyone else the régime didn't want, and of course the many soldiers who had fallen and the victims of the many air-raids on the town.

Thankfully, Americans still visit to see the sights, to buy Eau de Cologne and snow globes with the cathedral inside.

I hope you enjoyed this quiz.
Source: Author heidi66

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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