Renovation of the underground car park at Cologne Cathedral: An important step for Cologne!

Renovation of the underground car park at Cologne Cathedral: An important step for Cologne!

The city of Cologne is facing a challenging time: from January 2026, the cathedral base, which forms the eye-catching structure above the underground car park at Cologne Cathedral, is to be redesigned. The construction container that was erected in Trankgasse last week is the first step towards this comprehensive renovation. Again Cologne City Gazette reported, the areas around the northwestern part of the cathedral base are secured by construction fences. Exit from the underground car park is currently only possible at Kurt-Hackenberg-Platz because the underground car park's support pillars urgently need to be renovated.

The underground car park, which opened in 1971, shows significant damage. These are not only due to age, but also the result of de-icing salt that has penetrated the reinforced concrete and thus caused numerous spalls. A comprehensive renovation was urgently required. According to the latest information from t-online.de During the work, the north and south halls will be repaired at the same time, which also means that many parking spaces could be eliminated in the long term in order to create safe conditions for the construction work.

Construction site challenges

The north hall is currently almost completely cordoned off. This means that around 90 parking spaces are temporarily unusable due to the closure. Only the reserved places for the luxury Hotel Excelsior Ernst are currently occupied. Loud Review online The entrance and exit to the public parking space will be via Am Domhof street. However, the construction work could also mean that certain areas of the underground car park will have to remain closed during the renovation, which will make the situation even more difficult for drivers.

The concrete structures in need of fundamental renovation and a hydraulic support that was installed as an immediate measure are on the list of defects in the city's underground car park. Initial work has already taken place in the north hall, but the complete renovation is expected to last until spring 2026, Rundschau Online reports. If everything goes according to plan, work on the new cathedral base should begin next year after the renovation of the underground car park has been completed.

The path to redesigning the cathedral base

The redesign of the cathedral base, which has been part of the overall urban development concept for the cathedral area since 2009, has come a long way. There have been repeated delays, including due to the 2024 European Football Championships. The costs for the redesign are currently estimated at around 6.7 million euros, although final confirmation is still pending. Final planning is said to have been decided on in spring 2020, and after more than two years, construction finally seems to be within reach.

During all of this work, the greatest attention is paid to important aspects such as fire protection. The fire department has already addressed the need to enclose the steel supports in the underground car park for fire protection purposes. This aspect will also not be ignored during the renovation in order to ensure the safety of all users of the underground car park.