The Cologne racecourse has existed since 1898. The Cologne Racing Club 1897 e.V., founded a year earlier, has been located on the 55-hectare site known as "Weidenpescher Park" from the very beginning. When the first sod was turned for the construction of the racecourse in 1897, a new sporting tradition began in Cologne. The facility, designed by the Berlin architect Otto March, is still strongly characterized by the almost picturesque architecture of its founding years.