The Rosenmontagszug in Cologne will have a new route in 2023: the Zoch will take place on both sides of the Rhine. Start is in Deutz and end in the southern part of the city.
- The Shrove Monday procession will take place on February 20, 2023.
- The train route is an absolute premiere: The Zoch starts in Deutz, over the Deutzer Bridge it goes to the old town. The goal is Clodwigplatz.
- The Shrove Monday procession 2023 has around 12,000 participants. Hundreds of thousands follow the Zoch from the roadside.
Cologne – Der Rose Monday procession in the Cologne carnival is legendary. Countless revelers from Cologne and the surrounding area are drawn to the parade through the city of Cologne every year. Tourists also travel extra for this. On average, up to a million people follow the colorful carnival hustle and bustle in the southern part of the city and at Cologne Central Station. In the 2023 anniversary session there will finally be Zoch again. But in a new form and with a new route – a premiere in 200 years.
Rose Monday procession 2023 at a glance
► The Cologne Shrove Monday train 2023 starts at Deutz station. The contact point for the carnival societies is in the Cologne Tanzbrunnen. It starts at 10 a.m.
► Via the Deutzer Freiheit and the northern side of the Deutzer Bridge, it then goes to the old town of Cologne. Here, the Shrove Monday procession runs about 85 percent of its well-known route – but in a different direction.
► It goes through the old town past the Cologne Cathedral to the Cologne Rings and Severinstrasse. The parade ends at Chlodwigplatz. The new route is around 100 meters longer than usual.
► According to the plan, the first train participants arrive at the Torburg on Chlodwigplatz shortly before 2 p.m.
► Carnival compact has all the news about the Cologne carnival.
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Shrove Monday procession 2023 on both sides of the Rhine – direction of the procession reversed
According to the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee, for the first time in the history of Cologne Carnival there will also be a Shrove Monday procession on the “Schäl Sick” in the Deutz district of Cologne. So far, the right bank of the Rhine in Cologne has always come up empty-handed.
The area around the Cologne trade fair is planned as the set-up area for the 12,000 participants. From there it goes over the Deutzer Freiheit and the Deutzer Bridge in the direction of the old town. From there, the previous route is reversed. “On the left bank of the Rhine, the Shrove Monday procession will retain around 85 percent of its well-known route and will probably only be extended by around 100 meters,” according to the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee. The Schull and Veedelzöch 2023 also run on both sides of the Rhine.
Shrove Monday train in Cologne: the route at a glance
- Start am Ottoplatz
- Opladen street
- Neuhöfferstraße
- German freedom
- Minden street
- Deutz Bridge
- Pipinstraße
- Small sand crab
- Gürzenichstraße
- hay market
- Under Käster
- old market
- Bechergasse
- In the court
- Wallrafplatz
- Among fat hens
- Cardinal Höffner Square
- Tank gas
- station forecourt
- Cathedral Provost-Ketzer-Strasse
- To the Dominican
- Under Sachsenhausen
- Tunisstraße
- Burgmauer
- Appellhofplatz
- Neven DuMont Street
- wide street
- On the Berlich
- Zeughausstrasse
- Magnusstraße
- Friesenplatz
- Hohenzollernring
- Rudolfplatz
- Hahnentorburg
- middle street
- Apostle Street
- Neumarkt
- Schildergasse
- high Street
- high gate
- Mühlenbach
- Mathiasstraße
- Follerstraße
- Weberstraße
- Lowengasse
- Severinstrasse to Severinstor
Disruptions in Cologne due to the 2023 Rose Monday train: closures and traffic bans in Deutz and Südstadt
However, this also leads to restrictions on both sides of the Rhine. Security measures will be taken along the entire train route in Cologne Carnival 2023 – a total of 8.5 kilometers. The entire route is closed to traffic. There are other measures such as restricted zones around the starting point in Deutz, the Deutzer Bridge and the end of the route in Südstadt. The Shrove Monday procession also has an enormous impact on the KVB.
Cologne Carnival: Special opening at the Shrove Monday procession 2023
“The first real train in two years and at the same time the first train that will run on both sides of the Rhine – as the train line, we have a mammoth task ahead of us. But the anticipation is huge and I’m sure we’ll experience something very special on Shrove Monday,” emphasizes train manager Holger Kirsch. “We’ve come up with a few surprises for the revelers.” Above all, the opening has it all this year: A new version of the Cologne anthem “Zo Fooss noh Kölle jonn”, interpreted by Micky Brühl himself, Holger Kirsch as well as Michael Kokott and three choirs.
Carnival 2023 in Cologne: Cologne Rose Monday procession on WDR
This year, the “Zoch” will again be broadcast live on TV. For all “Kölsche Jecken” the WDR starts the live transmission of the Cologne Shrove Monday parade – the largest carnival parade in Germany – at 9 a.m. sharp. Afterwards, the Shrove Monday procession from Düsseldorf will be shown from 3 p.m. ARD broadcasts all the highlights of the Cologne “Zoch” at 2 p.m. on Shrove Monday and switches to the highlights of the parade in Düsseldorf at 3:30 p.m.
New rules for Shrove Monday procession 2023: Riders must not be too heavy
According to the Cologne Carnival festival committee, 270 horses are registered in Cologne. New, strict rules apply to riders and horses at Zoch 2023. Among other things, it says that horses should “ideally be positioned at the beginning or end of the procession” – and not in front of or behind a band.
There is also a ban on alcohol, smoking and mobile phones for riders. You must have many riding lessons and must not be too difficult. The riders are allowed to weigh a maximum of 15 percent of the horse’s weight. On average, a horse weighs 420 kilograms. The average rider should therefore only weigh 63 kilograms.
Cologne Carnival: Shrove Monday procession 2023 with numerous guests of honor – including the mouse
In addition to the horses, there will again be numerous guests of honor at the Shrove Monday procession 2023: The mouse from the “Show with the Mouse” will also ride on the Red Sparks’ pram. According to WDR, the mouse is dressed appropriately beforehand: she gets a traditional jester’s cap – the so-called Kratzchen – adapted from the regular tailor of Funken.
Among others, TV presenter Thore Schölermann is part of the Nippeser vigilante group. The “Voice of Germany” moderator has already tried on the Appelsinefunke uniform. And it “fits like a glove”, according to the President of the Nippeser Bürgerwehr, President of the Nippeser Bürgerwehr, Michael Gerhold. Also present: NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul and NRW Home Affairs Minister Ina Scharrenbach (both CDU).
By the way: Employers are not legally obliged to release their employees on Shrove Monday. A possibility to get time off without vacation, shows wa.de. (jw) This text is continuously updated
