Limesstraße Waidmarkt St. George in Cologne

The Limes Road reaches the suburb of Roman Cologne at the level of today’s Waidmarkt. This settlement outside the south gate was characterized by houses and workshops until the late 3rd century AD. It was abandoned when Germanic tribes invaded across the Rhine, reaching deep into the Roman Empire. In late Roman times, only graves were established in the ruins.

Since the 11th century, St. George’s Church has literally stood in the way. The church juts into the line of sight of the Roman road and was therefore visible to travelers and pilgrims from afar. The road was widened at this point to form a square, the Waidmarkt.

The name “Waidmarkt” (Woad Market) derives from the woad plant, which provided the dye for coloring textiles blue. The flowing water necessary for dyeing came from the Blaubach stream, which today runs under the street of the same name. Under the supervision of two market masters, who checked the weight and quality, the dye plant could only be traded in Cologne at this location.