There is a motor museum and a museum on the history of the production of eau de cologne. A variety of musical programs runs throughout the year. Theater, opera, and ballet productions are popular. There is a major annual festival, which is part of the Rhenisch pre-Lenten carnival. The city also has its own folk festival.
Much area is devoted to parkland, woods, sporting grounds, and lakes.
There are zoological and botanical gardens to the north. In Rhine Park is the Tanzbrunnen, or Dancing Fountain, and halls for fairs and exhibitions. The M ngersdorf sports stadium is west of the city. The University of Cologne, founded in 1388, was dissolved in 1798 during the French Revolution. It was reestablished in 1919.