Olivandenhof

The Olivandenhof is a four-story protected building used for retail and commerce in Cologne's Old Town. Its facade mixes brick with large glass panels and was designed to fit working shops on multiple levels while keeping the district's historical look.

The building was created in the 1980s by architects Pflaume, Hentrich, and Petschnigg as part of rebuilding Cologne's downtown after World War damage. It received an architecture award in 1990 for showing how to add working shops without erasing the district's character.

The building is named after a historical Cologne merchant and now displays how retail shops blend with preserved structures in this district. The covered passages and open spaces let visitors move naturally between stores and experience the mix of old and new around them.

The building is a short walk from Neumarkt and sits in the shopping district where other shops and restaurants surround it. The walking paths around it make arrival easy, and covered links to nearby buildings help you move through the area smoothly.

The building was designed to connect invisibly with the nearby Neumarktgalerie, so you can walk between them without stepping outside. These covered and underground passages are often unnoticed by visitors but shape how the district flows.