Once called Vinhem, Vingst whispers tales from over a thousand years ago. Today, we explore this Cologne suburb. Vingst sits east of Cologne in the Kalk district. It is a place with a long and varied history.
The first official mention of Vingst dates back to 1003. Archbishop Heribert of Cologne gifted it to Deutz Abbey. Yet hints suggest people lived here even in Roman times. The name Vinhem likely comes from “vinitor”. Vinitor is the Latin word for “winegrower”. An old Roman road once ran from Porz through Vingst to the north.
For many years, Vingst was a rural village. Its heart was Heßhofplatz. Several estates belonged to Deutz Abbey. These included the Judenhof now Heßhof, Unkelshof, Gremberger Hof, and Vingster Hof. The Vingster Hof still stands. It was built before 1180.
From 1900 to 1910, Vingst and Gremberg formed their own mayoral district. This was within the rural district of Cologne. Aloys Kuth was the first and only mayor. His former office still stands on Heßhofstraße. It is now a youth center. As Kalk grew into an industrial hub, workers settled in Vingst. A direct train linked Vingst to the factories of Kalk.
World War II badly damaged Kalk and Mülheim. After the war, new housing was vital. Vingst had farmland that could be built on. From 1947 to 1948, many temporary houses rose along Würzburger Straße. These simple homes were meant to be short-term. But guest workers and low-income families later used them as housing. Farmers Honecker and Hundgeburth continued to farm until 1957. Their land covered eastern and southern Vingst. The city’s housing association wanted to build more housing estates. So it compensated the farmers.
The Schweden-Siedlung was built first near Nobelstraße. People call it the Papageiensiedlung because of its bright colors. Soon after, the Siedlung Vingst appeared between Waldstraße and Kuthstraße. These housing projects aimed to provide affordable homes. They were mainly for people with housing permits from Cologne. Vingst quickly changed from a rural area to a working-class suburb. Later economic problems turned some areas into social hotspots.
In the 1960s, the Marbergweg / Auf dem Kitzeberg area developed. It features Reihen- and Doppelhäuser. The Paul-Gerhardt-Haus opened here in 1965. Architects Schulze and Hesse designed it. It served as an evangelical community center. In 2013, it closed as a church. From 2015 to 2017, it was converted into apartments.
Today, Vingst has a population around 12,681. The business center is located near the Kuthstraße / Ostheimer Straße intersection. You can find shops and restaurants there. Vingst is connected to the A4 and A559 motorways via the Vingster Ring. Cologne’s main train station is 8 km away. Cologne/Bonn Airport is 10 km away.
Since 1904, a tram has linked Vingst to Cologne’s city center. Today, line 9 connects Vingst to Ostheim and Königsforst. To the west, it reaches Sülz via Kalk, Deutz, and Neumarkt.
Extensive renovations began in Vingst in the late 1980s. The temporary houses on Würzburger Straße were modernized. One house was restored to its original state and preserved as a monument. Later, the Siedlung Vingst II was renovated. But much of the housing was in poor condition. It was cheaper to demolish and rebuild many blocks. Residents of Siedlung Vingst II moved to Vingst I during construction.
The final project, Siedlung Vingst I, proved difficult. The entire area was a protected historical site from the 1960s. A compromise was reached in 2002 after disagreements. The houses on Nobelstraße and Kirkegaardstraße were torn down. New houses were built in a similar style. The remaining part of the settlement was renovated. The appearance of the buildings had to be maintained. Balconies were the only permitted visual change. The Vingstveedel building on Ostheimer Straße completed the project in 2012.
Since 2003, local groups have formed to improve the district. One project, Blühendes HöVi, has planted thousands of daffodils in Vingst and Höhenberg. Vingst continues to evolve. It balances its history with the needs of its residents.