Between Porz and Mülheim it's
gradually getting dark. The sunset over the Rhine can now be watched
from the boats. The wind has dropped and it's dry! Thousands of visitors
on the boats and the banks of the Rhine are waiting for the show to
start. The convoy, consisting of 45 boats from KD and a lot of other
shipping companies, is just off the Island of Groov and is waiting
for the starting signal. Then the event's patron, Mayor Josef Müller,
shoots a flare from a Very pistol on the first KD boat to get things
going. The convoy sets off. Seconds later the first rockets rise over
the Island of Groov. A few hundred metres further on Porz Town Hall
is bathed in a brilliant Bengal light.
The boats sail slowly via Ensen, Rodenkirchen, Marienburg, Bayenthal,
Poll, Deutz to Mülheim. The passengers on deck gaze in fascination
at the coloured lights and lanterns the residents along the Rhine
have placed in their windows and gardens. All along the river locals
and visitors are celebrating. Time and again the boat passengers and
the residents on the banks wave to one another and there's a real
party atmosphere. At the same time pyrotechnic experts set off fireworks
continuously to the right and left of the Rhine to welcome the convoy.
In the meantime around 500 000 people have collected in front of the
Cologne Altstadt and on the Deutz bank. They're all waiting for the
first climax of the evening, for the boats coming from Porz to sail
past with their brightly coloured lights. The spectators have armed
themselves with candles and sparklers and are excitedly watching the
Rhine and the bridge under which the convoy will appear at any moment.
Then suddenly they're there. Behind the Severin Bridge the head of
the convoy is approaching. Through the 200 000 watt sound system set
up to the right and left of the Rhine to play the fireworks music,
the visitors are told by Radio Köln presenter Burk Mertens bit
by bit to ignite the "Cologne Lights" and sparklers. As
the first passenger boat passes under the bridge, the song "Adiemus" sounds and the people on the banks cheer the passing boats enthusiastically.
On the bridges thousands are standing and applauding. The spectators
throw hundreds of thousands of sparklers over the railings, giving
the impression of glittering, metres-long waterfalls. They line both
banks of the Rhine and throw a beautiful light onto the river. The
people gasp at this unprecedented view.
Then the convoy moves on in the direction of Cologne-Mülheim.
As it reaches the riverside "Tanzbrunnen" it is greeted
with another magnificent firework display. At Mülheim the convoy
turns and sails back to the Altstadt. There the boats throw anchor
just in front of the Hohenzollern Bridge and after the Deutz bridge
on the Rhine.
From the nearby Niehler Port a 120-metre-long pontoon has been towed
into the middle of the Rhine between the Altstadt and the Hyatt Hotel.
Over the past few days the fireworks experts have set up the complete
pyrotechnics on this pontoon for the big display.
Towards 11.30 p.m. the time has come: in the middle of the Rhine,
from the pontoon, an international fireworks display with synchronised
music is launched, coordinated by the company WECO, the officiating
world fireworks champion. First there are the "oohs" and
"aahs" typical, even compulsory for firework displays,
but they then give way to an almost contemplative calm, interrupted
only by enthusiastic applause between the musical items. The majority
of the visitors are agreed; Cologne and most of the thousands and
thousands of spectators at the "Kölner Lichter"
have never seen fireworks like these.
After midnight the "Kölner Lichter" starts to
wind down.
The 9. "Kölner Lichter" is scheduled for Saturday,
11 July 2009, You can obtain information form Köln Tourismus,
Phone +49 (0)221 221 30 400.
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| +49 (0) 221 / 221 304 00 |
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