Chlodwigplatz

Chlodwigplatz is defined by the Severinstorburg, a massive medieval gatehouse that anchors the southern end of the square. Built in the thirteenth century as part of the city’s defensive walls, this stone structure is one of only four such gates left standing in Cologne today. Its survival was never guaranteed; when the city decided to dismantle its medieval fortifications in eighteen eighty-two to facilitate expansion, the gate was saved only after significant public protest.