Köln (Cologne) is located in the largest city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The river is very wide here compared to further downstream and flows at a steady current. Köln survived the largest bombardment of any city in Europe by the Royal Air Force In World War Two. It was nearly destroyed in the process but has been thoughtfully reconstructed. Köln was not far from Maastricht in Belgium and considered by the Allied forces to be the gateway to Germany strategically.

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