Heumarkt

Heumarkt in Cologne traces a square that has fed the city since long before its history was written down, from a medieval hay and grain market with its own official scale to the municipal mill that ground malt here for over two centuries. The guide also lingers on a lighter moment: Bill Clinton's nineteen ninety-nine visit, when he raised a glass of local Kölsch and left behind a line locals still repeat. Merchants hauled grain, cheese, fish, legumes and spices across these same stones for centuries before any of that. Look for the corner table by the brewery windows where visitors still ask to sit.