The Ubii Monument – On the Trail of the Ubii

Today we are taking you to a small museum that at first glance seems rather inconspicuous and to the “original inhabitants” of Cologne. The museum is located not far from the Malzmühle brewery, the meeting point for most of our tours. You may have walked past the building before, but hardly noticed it, because the museum is located in a rather inconspicuous residential building between Heumarkt and Waidmarkt. The museum is actually more of a small branch of the Roman-Germanic Museum , which is currently being renovated.

The museum only consists of one room, but it leaves a lasting impression! If you have a little time before starting your brewery tour at the Malzmühle, just stop by - at least on the first Thursday of every month from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. On this day, Cologne residents can even get in for free! Although the small museum is rarely open without prior registration, guided tours can also be booked.

Getting to know the Ubii and Romans

What is there to see in the Ubii Monument ? The oldest stone monument in Germany! The building is the oldest relic that has survived from the Roman era in Cologne. At least the remains of it. The Ubii Monument itself is a stone tower that was once 12 meters high.

Nobody knows exactly what the large tower was used for at the time. Perhaps it was part of a city fortification of the Oppidum Ubiorum and stood at the entrance to the Ubii harbor on the Rhine. It could have been a watchtower or a lighthouse, but historians are not entirely sure.

In any case, the tower was located exactly where the southern and eastern Roman city walls later met. However, these were not built until a few years later, around 50 AD. So the tower was built before that, but never fully completed. When the Romans built their city walls, they simply incorporated the remains of the tower into their new city walls .

The museum also has some remnants from the Roman and Ubii era in Cologne , some of which were found during the construction of houses. The highlight, however, are the 6-meter-high remains of walls that were found during construction work in 1965.

Who were the Ubii?

The Ubii were a West Germanic tribe and probably very advanced for their time, something that even the Roman general Caesar had to acknowledge without envy. The Ubii initially lived on the right bank of the Rhine and continued to do so when the Romans first appeared here. By then the Ubii had probably spread quite far, perhaps even as far as the Ruhr.

When Caesar was traveling in the area, he was of the opinion that the Ubii were the only Germanic people who were civilized from the Roman perspective. For example, the Ubii already had their own ships. So the two quickly started talking: There was trade between the Romans and the Ubii and the Ubii thought it would be a good idea to send their sons to the Romans for training. They also stuck together militarily and took action against other Germanic tribes.

As a result, the Eburones who lived here were almost wiped out. The Roman governor in Cologne, Marcus Vipsansius Agrippa , then ordered the Ubii to move to the other side of the Rhine. Only then did the Oppidum Ubiorum , the main town of the Ubii, emerge. This area then became the Ara Ubiorum, then later the Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, which later became Cologne. When the Franks later took over the rule in the region, the Ubii era finally came to an end. But the Ubii monument remains.

The small but lovely museum is definitely worth a visit! Just drop by. Since it's only a few meters to the Malzmühle brewery, it's definitely worth taking one of our brewery tours afterwards! Here you can find out more about the history of our beautiful Cologne.