Despite the growing housing shortage in Cologne, you hear a lot about people moving in and wanting to live on the left bank of the Rhine. The fact that the right bank of the Rhine has not long since achieved the same popularity as the cathedral side is understandable, if only because of the many hotspots and attractions that Cologne has to offer on the left bank.
What is interesting, however, is that this awareness did not come about by chance. Even the Romans had an aversion to the "Schäl Sick."
The people of Cologne use the term "Schäl Sick" to refer somewhat teasingly to the districts on the right bank of the Rhine, such as Deutz, Mülheim, Kalk, and even Leverkusen and Düsseldorf. But the term has also become established in other areas along the Rhine for a variety of reasons:
One origin story that is often repeated tells of medieval Cologne, when ships were still pulled up the Rhine with the help of draft horses. When they walked on the left bank of the Rhine, the reflection of the sun's rays on the river caused damage to the horses' eyes facing the river, sometimes even blinding them. To prevent this, the draft animals were fitted with blinders that covered their right eyes so that they could no longer see the Rhine or the right bank. This made them "schäl," which comes from the Cologne dialect for "poor eyesight."
To this day, the origin of this tradition is somewhat controversial, as it is not certain whether horses are actually blinded by the sun and, if so, whether both eyes would have been affected.
In Cologne in particular, the right side of the Rhine has been separated from the wrong side since Roman times. The Romans only settled on the left bank of the Rhine and used the river as the city boundary. The land on the right bank was still populated by the Germanic tribes, who were considered uncultured and barbaric. This also explains the term "Schäl Sick." One of the Germanic gods, Odin, is said to have been blind in one eye.
Further north, the people of Neuss like to use the term on many a regulars' evening to say something bad about their hated neighbors, the people of Düsseldorf. Next to Neuss, one of the oldest cities in Germany, the city of Düsseldorf was founded in the 12th/13th century and grew at a rapid pace. The city became a constant rival for Neuss. When Düsseldorf ventured across to the left bank of the Rhine, this was met with incomprehension by many residents of Neuss. This sentiment has persisted to this day.
Despite the reputation that the right bank of the Rhine still has to live with, it is becoming increasingly popular. This is because the most beautiful thing about the right bank of the Rhine is no longer the view of the left bank, but rather the personality and atmosphere that more and more people from Cologne are learning to appreciate.
