Severinstraße (in) Kölsch: Vringsstroß) is the Name a 995-metre-long road in a north-south direction between Chlodwigplatz and Waidmarkt in the Cologne Old Town South runs.

If you look at the house numbers on the facades of the houses, something unusual stands out. The count begins at Chlodwigplatz and ends towards the cathedral.

Station name Severinstraße on a wall of the Cologne subway.
© Prof. Dr. Thorsten Fröhlich · Image source · Image credit

Usually, the numbers start in large Cologne streets from the center of the city.

But why is that? An exact answer cannot be given, but there are indications:

‘Je vous prie de le discuter avec Monsieur le Professor Wallraf.‘

The University of Cologne has summarized the history of street renaming here:

Painted Portrait of Ferdinand Franz Wallraf.
Image credit: Johann Anton de Peters; source: https://www.wallraf.museum/uploads/pics/wallrafs_erbe-galerie-02.jpg · Public domain · Image source · Reduced for web presentation and saved as WebP. · Image credit

Wallraf's new street name Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (1748-1824) – A search for traces in Cologne

Sources:

Wallraf's new street name Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (1748-1824) – A search for traces in Cologne