The city’s history museum is located over four floors and I thought it was able to present Cologne’s heritage in an interesting manner. And that included the period in time when Cologne was under French occupation between 1794 and 1814. Although it might now have always felt inevitable that this period would come to an end, that’s a lengthy period when much about the city was changed. That included the introduction of waste collection, street lighting, religious freedom and also house numbers. There’s certainly something to be said for the Napoleonic code….
This street sign was from that period of French occupation and it dates to 1813. What was Gereonsmühlengasse became Rue Moulins Gereon, so no change of meaning, it meant something like St Gereon’s Mills in both languages. The street is still there today, although evidently the damage caused during the Second World War has given it something of a different look.