Only in Cologne by Duncan J.D. Smith

71 Innenstadt Under normal conditions only the main canal is filled with waste- water, a slow-moving, murky mass of dark grey water with a distinctive aroma! It runs northwards to Cologne’s first mechanised wastewater treatment plant in Niehl, which opened in 1905. However, in times of exceptionally heavy rain the water in the canal is supplemented by wa- ter running off the streets above, and all too soon the level rises, slop- ping over the side, and running into the storm drain alongside it. This carries the excess water directly into the Rhine. When it’s not raining visitors are able to take a short stroll along the storm drain to peer into its numerous side tunnels. A unique and surprising feature is the twelve-armed chandelier sus- pended from the ceiling of the chamber, giving rise to the name Kron- leuchtersaal, or Chandelier Hall. The chandelier’s presence dates back to the opening of the sewer system in 1890, which was to have been The Chandelier Hall (Kronleuchtersaal) in the sewers on Theodor- Heuss-Ring