Verwaltungsgericht Köln, Administrative court in Cologne, Germany

The Administrative Court of Cologne is a court that handles disputes between citizens and government authorities in the region. It is housed in the Appellhof building in central Cologne and operates multiple chambers to handle different types of cases.

The first courthouse on the site was designed by city architect Johann Peter Weyer, whose semicircular plans date from 1819; the building opened in 1826 for the Rhenish Court of Appeal. After the Reich justice laws of 1879, it was replaced by the present building by Paul Thoemer and Rudolf Mönnich, inaugurated in 1893, whose southern front still hints at the old semicircle. Damaged in the Second World War, it was restored in the 1950s with most figurative facade ornament removed. The Administrative Court has sat here since 1981.

The building's popular name, Appellhof, comes from the Rheinischer Appellationsgerichtshof, the appellate court housed there from 1826. The court's 28 general chambers are joined by special chambers for federal and state staff representation, and a professional tribunal rules on breaches of duty by doctors, dentists, psychotherapists, pharmacists and veterinarians.

The building is centrally located at Appellhofplatz and is easily accessible by public transport. Visitors should expect security checks when entering and should note that viewing the building is only possible outside of court proceedings.

The courthouse's popular name, "Appellhof", comes from the Rheinischer Appellationsgerichtshof that occupied the site from 1826; the semicircular ground plan of Johann Peter Weyer's building is still hinted at in the southern facade of the 1893 replacement by Paul Thoemer and Rudolf Mönnich.