Pigeon Post Bar & Eatery

THDP completed the Pigeon Post Bar & Eatery at Hilton Cologne, with a design concept inspired by the history of the hotel and its building – once being a Post Office but now a space serving local dishes and beverages mixed with with international influences.

The location
The Hotel is nestled in an amazing location in Cologne’s city heart, being a stone’s throw from the most visited attraction in the city the Cologne Cathedral, a building of superlatives that is the centre and hallmark of this city on the Rhine. The city began life as a Roman colony (hence its name) and was a key strategic site. Catholicism flourished in this part of the Roman Empire and in 1248 construction began on a mighty cathedral worth of housing the relics of the Three Kings themselves. Because of these relics, the cathedral became one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Europe. Its two massive towers have dominated the city’s skyline since their completion in 1880. At 157.38 meters, the northern tower is 7cm taller than the southern one.

Germany’s fourth-largest and arguably most cheerful city is one of the most important commercial and cultural centres in Germany. Cologne (Köln in German) is famous for its 12 great Romanesque churches – especially the magnificent Cologne Cathedral as well as some other great sights. Cologne’s art comes in many forms, from Roman mosaics and impressive stained-glass windows to world class art museums featuring Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein and Pablo Picasso. Then there is the classic appeal of the Old Town, with its narrow streets and houses painted in pastel shades. Cologne’s vibrant cultural life attracts both national and international visitors. The City is known for vibrant cultural scene, including numerous festivals such as Cologne Carnival, Cologne Lights, Cologne Pride, Art Cologne, IMM Cologne, Heinzels Winter Fairy-tale: Handbrotzeit and several food festivals, amongst many others.

The Hotel
The Hilton Cologne lobby, bar and social space were redesigned and re-furbished with a modern, innovative gastronomy concept. The centerpiece is the new ‘Pigeon Post’ – a combination of restaurant, bar and lounge and social working area – with an unusual name and funny details as a clear reference to the history of the building. It was a post office in the early 1950s through to the late 1990s. Later, after a long vacancy, in 2002 it was finally gutted and converted into the Hilton Hotel.

The Pigeon Post replaces the Lobby Bar and the previous IceBar. The Pigeon Post Bar & Eatery invites you to enjoy special coffee specialties in the morning, after which it becomes the “Eatery” with a separate entrance for external guests. At lunchtime and in the evening, there are refined à la carte dishes on the menu – while the bar tempts you with a variety of cocktails and drinks from 5 p.m. The optically chic restaurant & bar was built with a total of 110 seats, with a variety of furnishings, seating options including intimately lit dining areas. The Interior designers implemented the new concept and included some quirky details, typewriters as artworks, mailboxess in which you can leave books and magazines for other guests – you can even choose and send postcards for free.

Design: THDP
Contractor: Hagenauer Group
Photography: Stefan Bunkofer