Harbor Terrace at the Malakoff Tower

The "Harbour Terrace at the Chocolate Museum" offers a great view of the Rheinauhafen, the historic swing bridge and the old Malakoff Tower (a defense tower of the Prussian bank fortifications). The harbor terrace is a nice place to have a cold beer with a view of the Rhine. The counter is in the old Malakoff tower. Various beers, wines and drinks are served. Next door at the Sailor Grill is self-service and you can get fries and tarte flambée. You can eat the food in the beer garden just like you can bring your own food. But better check the opening hours in advance. The terrace was closed in February, it was probably too cold outside.

Very nice beer garden at the Malakoff Tower.
From there you have a beautiful view of the chocolate museum, the swing bridge and the Rhine.
The Malakoff Tower dates back to a time when the port was not yet called Rheinauhafen. It was built around 1853 and served in the middle of the 19th century as a fortification for the predecessor of the Rheinauhafen, which was built between 1850 and 1855. At that time a new peninsula was created, on the top of which the tower guarded the northern entrance to the harbor basin.
The neo-Gothic tower was designed by Friedrich Grund, who was responsible for the entire planning of the port. This style was deliberately chosen and was intended to refer directly to the famous medieval Cologne Rhine panorama and thus symbolize the economic heyday of the city of Cologne.
The tower's name can be traced back to the Russian fortifications of Fort Malakov, which date back to the Crimean Wars. Since the middle of the 19th century, this name has been used in mining (e.g. Rheinpreußen I/II colliery in Homberg) or for military buildings and is said to symbolize strength, size and resilience.

A nice beer garden that was unfortunately still closed