The Dominican monastery „Heilig Kreuz“ in Cologne Rathenau is at the same time the administrative centre of the Dominicans for the German-speaking countries. Even though the monsterial life is losing its popularity these days, the Dominicans are still the most favoured Christian order.
The current convent was reestablished at the beginning of the 20th century and has been widely destroyed during World War II. The current convent buildings date from the 1950s and have been classified as obsolete for the tendering procedure. In contrast to that, the old trees of the convent's garden have been rated a natural monument and thus worth conserving.