Contipark takes over management of the underground car park at Willy-Millowitsch-Platz and offers favourable parking prices

Contipark takes over the management of the underground car park at Willy-Millowitsch-Platz (formerly Gertrudenparkhaus), which was built in 1983. The central location not far from the cathedral and main railway station and in the middle of Cologne’s old town district makes the car park a real crowd puller. On two underground levels, 46 vehicles find a safe, clean and, above all, inexpensive parking space.

With the new underground car park, Contipark now manages a total of five parking facilities in the Old Town district, which is popular with tourists and Cologne residents and has many restaurants and pubs. The car park at Friesenplatz (Alte Wallgasse) and the car parks at Lungengasse, Schildergasse and Opernpassage are located within a radius of 500 metres around Willy-Millowitsch-Platz.

‘This brings the portfolio in Cologne’s urban centre to a strong 25 parking facilities with a total of 7,035 parking spaces,’ says Andreas Knops, Member of the Management Board and Head of Real Estate.

Favourable parking rates and night owl-friendly opening hours

The central underground car park has a high frequency and is popular with drivers. ‘We know that it’s not easy to find an inexpensive car park in a central location in Cologne. We therefore offer a very favourable rate compared to the market,’ says Cihan Gökduman, Head of Real Estate Management.

The rate ‘per hour or part thereof’ with the Pcard, Contipark’s low-cost payment card, is 1.50 euros, while the ‘hour or part thereof’ costs 2.50 euros. The Pcard daily rate (0 to midnight) is 15.00 euros, the regular daily rate is 25.00 euros. Previously, the hourly rate was 3.00 euros and the full day rate was 30.00 euros. The payment process at Contipark is simple: customers can use their GiroCard, credit card or Pcard to pay at the automatic pay station before leaving the car park.

Contipark would also like to significantly extend its opening hours. ‘We are currently examining the options and coordinating them with the city council,’ explains Gökduman. This is good news for all night owls, because – as with the other Contipark facilities in the neighbourhood – the aim is to open seven days a week and around the clock.

More security and investment in modern parking and security technology as well as e-charging infrastructure

To increase security, a demand-controlled roller shutter will be installed. In the future, the underground car park will only be accessible to those who have parked their vehicle in the car park. ‘This significantly increases the feeling of security for our customers, especially near the railway station,’ says department head Gökduman. In total, Contipark is investing a low six-figure sum in the optimisation of the underground car park.

Two charging stations for electric vehicles are also planned for the future. ‘This initiative is part of our commitment to offering innovative and environmentally friendly parking solutions, even at small locations, in order to meet the needs of our customers. When operating our charging stations, we also attach particular importance to the verifiable supply of electricity from renewable energy sources,’ explains Andreas Knops.