The carnival in Cologne comes up with a revolution, at least for the people of Cologne: For the first time, the caravan rolls on the "wrong" side of the city and crosses the Rhine. This leads to some peculiarities - and an urgent warning.
Cologne (dpa / lnw) - At the Cologne Rose Monday procession, there is a strict ban on throwing camels - i.e. sweets - into the Rhine for carnival participants this year. This measure is necessary because the move will cross the river for the first time in its history in 2023, on the Deutzer Bridge. Carnival parties who like to throw and ride along on the train come very close to the water.
Train manager Holger Kirsch made it clear on Tuesday: In principle, camels may also be thrown on the bridge – but not over the railing into the Rhine. "Of course, one is not immune to the stupidity of some people at this point," he added. "If someone wants to throw in the Rhine, then he will do it." In this case, however, a severe penalty is to be expected.
"If we can prove to a company that one of them threw a participant into the Rhine, then we will sanction it next year with a deduction of at least ten participant places. And that hurts," said Kirsch. The places are extremely popular. "But why should you throw camels into the Rhine that you have paid for beforehand and that you really want to make other people happy with?"
The Shrove Monday procession will take place on February 20 this year. It is the first real move since 2020. In 2021 it was canceled due to Corona, in 2022 due to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Traditionally, masses of camels are thrown at spectators along the way. It's always a big party, especially for children.
In addition, 200 years of Cologne Carnival will be celebrated this year. Because of the anniversary, there is a new route that connects both Cologne sides of the Rhine for the first time. So far, the "Zoch", as the people of Cologne call it, was exclusively limited to the left bank of the Rhine. This time, however, "Schäl Sick", the "wrong side" of the city, is also allowed to take part - it is even the starting point. For the people of Cologne, this is a kind of revolution. The two sides of the city have always been viewed as opposite worlds.
After an initial "hesitation", carnival circles are now euphoric about the idea, said Zugleiter Kirsch. "It's actually long overdue," he said. After all, more than 400,000 people lived on the "Schäl Sick". "Maybe we can then do away with the old prejudice," he said. Adenauer, for example, said: "Bolshevism begins behind Düx". Düx is the Cologne name for the Deutz district on the right bank of the Rhine.
Among other things, the new concept provides for a barrier ring around the starting point in Deutz, in which only a certain density of people is allowed. In addition, he will issue traffic bans on the installation area near the Rhine on the right bank. There are similar ones at the end of the road in the southern part of Cologne.
Of course, special attention is also paid to the bridge that has to be crossed on the way. "I think that will also be the place where the most selfies in the world will probably be taken that day," predicted Kirsch confidently. One reason: the Cologne Cathedral then presents itself in the background as a panorama. Around 5200 spectators should be allowed on the bridge. An electronic count is planned so that it does not become more.
Another question in the planning was whether the route over the bridge would not make the Shrove Monday procession much more prone to being canceled due to strong winds. But that's not the case, Kirsch assured and was able to report: "The worst wind conditions in the city have always been around the cathedral. We're dealing with downdrafts and suction winds."
