Ulrepforte

The Ulrepforte is the only gate in the medieval walls of Cologne that still shows the scars of its own defense. While the rest of the wall system was dismantled in the nineteenth century, this gateway stayed standing. It carries a heavy, rounded brick tower that feels mismatched against the older stone base. In thirteen fifty-seven, a local knight named Gerhard von der Ulrepforte accidentally broke the city's peace, leading to a legendary standoff that forced the city to wall off this very entrance for decades.