Travel 2,000 years into the past with me on a walking tour of Roman Cologne, founded by Emperor Augustus himself. The city’s first 500 years of occupation by the Romans permanently shaped Cologne, and saw it transform from an inconsequential outpost, to the capital of Lower Germania. On this walking tour, I’ll show you remnants of this ancient city that are hidden in plain sight. We’ll begin our journey in front of the Kreuzblume beside the Cologne Cathedral, where you’ll hear about the city’s old northern gate. Our walk through the ages comes to an end near the Ubii Monument, the oldest stone tower in Germany. Along the way, I’ll tell you where to find original Roman stairs, and how to spot celebrated Roman soldiers, Marsilius and Agrippa, on the Gürzenich Köln's imposing Gothic facade. I’ll point out Great St Martin Church which was built in the Middle Ages on the foundations of a Roman warehouse, and in the former Roman temple district, St Maria im Kapitol. You can look forward to: • Finding out why Die Römische Hafenstraße in Köln (a Roman harbour road) was imperfectly rebuilt in Kurt Hackenberg Platz • Locating the largest Roman palace in the Rhineland • Hearing about an ancient Roman sewer that survived wars, floods, and the industrial revolution, but might soon succumb to German fire protection regulations • Walking down one of the oldest continuously used roads in an urban centre north of the Alps • Peering through the window of the Roman Germanic Museum to see one of the world’s largest and best-preserved Roman mosaics • Finding an archaeological gem inside a metro station • Learning what the 1969 moon landing has to do with the ancient Romans in Cologne By the end of the tour, you’ll also know why the Romans founded a city so far from their home, and where to find remnants of their walls in places you may never expect.