Prof. Elisabeth Hollender led our fourth day in Cologne, along with Prof. Judith Schlanger and her students who accompanied us for the day. We started the day with Ulrich Berzbach's introduction to the city and its past in front of the Cologne Cathedral. After that, we visited the Jewish Quarter archeological site and offices. There, Dr. Gerry White and Dr. Katja Kliemann presented the fascinating archeological findings of their excavations, and we were privileged to take a close-up look at some of the slates and stone sculptures from the Medieval Quarter. We then enjoyed a wonderful and informative presentation by Dr. Christiane Twiehaus and the MiQua project staff about their new museum of the Jewish quarter, set to open in 2021. They shared with us their aim to present the various aspects of daily life in Medieval Cologne through local archeological findings and relevant texts. This discussion was especially relevant and helpful to our project's work since it raised many methodological and research questions similar to those that permeate the work of our group members.
In the afternoon we toured the city, visited the medieval market-place and walked along the river, with expert guiding from Prof. Hollender. As Prof. Hollender guided us through these urban spaces, her thorough explanation and description enabled us to grasp the Medieval space in which the Jews and Christians lived, the extent to which these spaces were small and intimate, and how interactions between medieval people might have been experienced. We ended the day with a brief visit to the Cathedral, which contributed to our understanding of the its centrality in the Christians' and Jews' lives.
We are grateful to have each received the book "Von der Ausgrabung zum Museum - Kölner Archäologie zw. Rathaus und Prätorium. Ergebnisse 2006-2012" from the Cologne Jewish Quarter Archeological staff.
