The "old-town" is the most unreal part of Cologne, as it looks like no other part of the city, what with its towering gothic cathedral, cobblestone streets and giant crowds. Seventy-two percent of this area was destroyed during the war, and thanks to help from the Marshall Plan and the tireless "Trümmelfrauen" (the women who freed much for the rubble from the bombed areas), it was able to be built back into the post-card idyll one sees today. With the Dom, the main train station, several museums, and infinite shopping avenues, it is a densely-programmed point of departure for all travelers.