Aachener Weiher

This guide to Aachener Weiher in Cologne tells the story of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who was two when the bomb fell on Hiroshima and ten years later began folding paper cranes in a hospital bed, chasing an old promise that one thousand cranes would grant a wish. It leads you to a bronze crane sculpture at the park's edge, unveiled in 2007 by sculptor Hannes Helmke and ringed by three trees representing Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Cologne. You'll hear about Cologne's alliance with the two Japanese cities since 1985 and the walk that still gathers here every August. Stand at the water's edge and look toward the trees before you head to the memorial itself.