The photograph shows the characteristic Rhine panorama of Cologne’s Old Town as it appeared to a traveler from the water. The silhouette is dominated by the massive crossing tower of the Romanesque collegiate church of Groß St. Martin; behind it rise the Gothic towers of Cologne Cathedral. Along the bank, a pontoon installation is visible, with passenger steamships moored there; a cargo barge passes through the scene on the Rhine. The historic Old Town ensemble with its gabled houses along the Rhine bank conveys Cologne’s medieval character. In the travel film, this Rhine perspective serves as the classical introduction to the Cologne episode and presents the city as a significant center on the Rhine.