The Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse (''Galopprennbahn Köln-Weidenpesch'') is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

track at Weidenpescher Park in

Nippes Nippes ( French) or Nip ( Haitian Creole) is one of the ten departments (the highest-level political subdivisions) of Haiti located in southern Haiti. It is the most recently created department, having been split from Grand'Anse in 2003. The ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. As the only race course in Germany hosting more than one European pattern Group 1 race, Weidenpesch is one of the most prominent tracks in the country.Article from Whatsonwhen
Cologne-Weidenpesch is also one of Germany's oldest horse-racing tracks, having been established as a race course in 1897. The larger of the two

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

s was designed as a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

and

timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

structure in 1898 and substantially renovated in 2004. Until recently, the sportsgrounds were also home to Cologne's oldest football club, the

VfL Köln 99 VfL Köln was a German association football club from the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), co ...

Races

The Weidenpesch Racecourse hosts several annual

conditions races Conditions races are horse races in which the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the ...

: * Group 1: **

Preis von Europa The Preis von Europa is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Cologne over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...

and **

Rheinland-Pokal The Grosser Preis von Bayern is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich Racecourse over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

* Group 2: **

Gerling-Preis The Gerling-Preis is a Group 2 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) at Cologne in late April or early May. History The event was est ...

, **

Grosse Europa-Meile The Grosse Europa-Meile is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Munich in September. History The event was originally st ...

, **

Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen The Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen is a Group 2 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Cologne over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

and ** Oppenheim-Union-Rennen * Group 3: **

Schwarzgold-Rennen The Schwarzgold-Rennen is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Cologne in May. History The event is named after Schwarzgold, ...

, **

Silberne Peitsche The Silberne Peitsche is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs) at Munich in late April or early May. History The event ...

and ** Preis des Winterfavoriten The

, originally established as "Preis von Birlinghoven" in 1921, and from 1934 onwards, named and sponsored by Robert Gerling, is the oldest sponsored race prize in the country. Other major races include the

and the

. The Cologne racing association (''Kölner Rennverein'') organizes horse races throughout the entire year.

References

External links

official site: Kölner Rennverein 1897 e.V.

Sports venues in Cologne Tourist attractions in Cologne Nippes, Cologne {{NorthRhineWestphalia-struct-stub

Races

See also

References

External links