Half a century of King George

The King Georg has been at its place at Sudermanstraße 2 for 50 years, only rumors about its predecessors and past are even more persistent. After all, as early as 1957, the Parisiana advertised “attractive French women and spirited beauty dances”. In fact, there has never been a real table dance bar here since it opened as King Georg in 1968. But the myth now fits perfectly with the much-invoked “Chicago on the Rhine” - that is, the reputation of that Cologne half-world of the sixties, whose prominent crooks wrote the city's history. Dim lights, golden rods, glittering chandeliers, brass dance floors - the furnishings did the rest to bring half-silence legends into the world.

Romantic ideas

Over the course of half a century, a wide-ranging public has come to appreciate the sympathetic peculiarities of the bar. It starts with her name being King Georg - and not King George! It is not known why the "e" and thus the English pronunciation once fell under the table. Perhaps the person of the Guelph King and at the same time the first English king (1714) was the godfather of George I, whose German ancestry, lack of knowledge of the English language and his reputation as a womanizer give a successful justification for the naming - and whose portrait therefore hangs over the bar . The lettering of King Georg is rather borrowed from the King George V whiskey…. And there is also a Kölsch version of the explanation: At some point the "e" fell off the neon letters ...

Between exclusive and insider tip

In 2008 a romantic came to the helm with fresh ideas. André Sauer took over the helm from Manfred Weinmann. He left the interior, but programmatically turned the store and his team inside out. In the new club bar there were concerts and DJ sets, readings and lectures, burlesque appearances and other performances. Jan Lankisch's legendary ACBTY concert series received international attention and created a local fan base, cooperation with the Akademie der Künste der Welt, the Literaturhaus or the Week-End-Fest ensured that King Georg was more closely connected to the city's cultural scene. For its musical booking, it was awarded the Applaus venue program award three times.

Jazz and other news

In 2019, the King Georg faced several challenges: the team was exhausted, the coffers empty, the facility was exciting but ailing and therefore required a thorough renovation by the authorities. The new operators were jazz crazy people from the circle of the friends' association of Cologne Jazz Supporters eV In addition to necessary and well-considered modernizations with the aim of maintaining the atmosphere of King Georg, they set a new musical focus: jazz, straight ahead, modern and more ... as it should be in a jazz club. The idea: from Monday to Thursday at least twice a week excellent live jazz concerts, on the "free" days free gigs by "Young Talents" of the music college for visitors. In addition, a varied program with literature and different styles of music on Friday and Saturday before the DJs start at 11 p.m. Opening it 6 days a week is brave - the King Georg team makes it possible through their commitment.

The concentration on jazz symbolizes the connection between tradition and the present. The recipe is quite simple: good entertainment. It is intended to ensure that the historic King Georg is firmly anchored in its traditional location as a special place for live music, nights of dancing and other cultural events. For everyone who wants to celebrate the King Georg, the music, the successful cocktail and - as usual in Cologne - a little bit of celebration. As a club for artists, jazz lovers and night owls. And for everyone who wants to become one.