15 best museums in Cologne

The unique and hospitable Cologne attracts tourists not only with its outstanding architectural monuments, but also with its rich and rich cultural life. The city satisfies the needs of even the most discerning art connoisseurs. This is evidenced by numerous exhibition complexes and galleries. Cologne's museums store unique collections of artifacts and exhibits that are striking in their diversity.

Chocolate Museum

A visit to the Chocolate Museum in Cologne guarantees a lot of positive impressions and pleasant surprises. This popular place receives over 600 thousand tourists a year. The impressive collection of exhibits opens up the opportunity for visitors to get acquainted with the main technological processes and secrets of the production of the famous delicacy of mankind. The exposition reflects the history of making chocolate products, from the cultivation of cocoa beans to the creation of a variety of finished products. The modern four-storey building of the exhibition complex, built of glass and brick, looks like a ship.

Interior glass galleries and semi-circular staircases will take tourists to a greenhouse with cocoa bean trees, a miniature factory, an exhibition hall and a candy store. The collection of old pastry molds, vending machines, colorful labels of famous brands, tools and many other attributes is of interest. In the museum you can see a fully automated chocolate production line, as well as hand-made sweet figurines. It is impossible to pass by the main pride of this cultural institution - a three-meter chocolate fountain. His system circulates about 200 kilograms of melted chocolate mass, flowing from various holes into the pool.

Open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00. On weekends, the doors of the chocolate laboratory are open from 11:00 to 19:00. The exhibition is closed on Mondays from January to March and in November.

Perfume Museum (House of Farin)

Perfume lovers are advised to go on an exciting visit to the famous House of Farin. This is an ancient architectural complex where the world's first aromatic water production facility was located. It was in this historic building that the famous Italian alchemist Johann-Maria Farina made Cologne famous with his invention, the Eau De Cologne cologne three centuries ago. The perfumer has created a magnificent perfume that embodies the exquisite scents of Italy. He brought together the aromas of oranges, lemons, daffodils, garden roses and mountain fragrant flowers. His clients were the crowned persons of Europe, among whom was the Empress of the Russian Empire Catherine II.

In the building of the factory, where Farina lived and worked, there is an interesting exposition dedicated to the masterpiece of perfumery art. Visitors will appreciate the luxurious and pompous interiors of the rich Rococo house that have been preserved. In the halls of the museum you can see bottles and packaging for perfumes, works of art and items of antique furniture, dishes and cutlery, jewelry and numerous manuscripts of the perfumer. In parallel with admiring the refined atmosphere, guests are imbued with the secrets of the technologies for the production of aromatic branded essences. Noteworthy are the original cedar wood barrels, in which the iconic Cologne eau de toilette was aged.

Open every day from 10:00 to 19:00 (Monday to Saturday) and from 11:00 to 17:00 (on Sundays). Here tourists can spend time cognitively, visually studying the methods of creating colognes, as well as taste and purchase brand name perfumes.

House of cologne number 4711

On Glockengasse Street there is one of the legendary buildings of Cologne - Cologne House No. 4711. This famous perfume shop-museum is associated with the name of the German entrepreneur Wilhelm Müllens, who in 1792 organized the production of fragrant eau de toilette. The oldest firm is housed in a Gothic-style building with distinctive decorative openwork turrets. The brand got its name from the number of the house where the cologne was produced.

At the entrance to the store, a huge glass showcase with countless bottles of famous perfumes arouses interest. Visitors can purchase a variety of perfumery products for both women and men. There is a wide range of scents here. A special faucet is installed in the lobby, from which aromatic Cologne water is continuously poured. On the second floor of the house, there is a collection of historical objects, including photographs, certificates, awards, personal belongings of the owners of the house, all kinds of bottles and other curious artifacts.

Open every day, except Sunday, from 9:00 to 19:00.

Ludwig Museum

In the central part of Cologne, next to the majestic Gothic cathedral, there is a magnificent building - the Ludwig Museum. The exhibition halls of the four-story gallery are home to an impressive collection of contemporary art exhibits. Here you will find a variety of art canvases, sculptures, installations and photographs. The basis of the museum fund is the private collection of the industrialist Peter Ludwig, who bequeathed most of the works in favor of his beloved city.

The exposition covers works of such movements as avant-garde, surrealism, cubism, pop art, graphics and expressionism. Outrageous and sometimes provocative masterpieces reject the traditions of classical art, which arouses genuine interest among many visitors to the complex. A special place in the gallery is occupied by the masterpieces of the following masters: Picasso, Malevich, Dali, Chagall, Rodchenko, Warhol and Kandinsky. A separate hall of the exhibition center is dedicated to sculptural installations reflecting the pressing urgent problems of mankind. The Ludwig Institution is open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Opening hours: 10: 00-18: 00.

Wallraf-Richartz Museum

Connoisseurs of classical art will not be left indifferent by the Wallraf-Richartz Museum. This is a wonderful art gallery, which houses an extensive collection of paintings, from the most famous masterpieces of medieval masters to canvases by artists of the 20th century. This cultural institution owes its foundation to two citizens of Cologne: Professor Franz Walraf and philanthropist Heinrich Richartz. Both figures, who lived during the 19th century, had a passion for fine art.

In a five-storey new cube-shaped building with an area of ​​3500 square meters, unique rare altar paintings, graphic drawings and art canvases from various schools of painting (Flemish, Dutch, French and German) are on display. Among the exhibits one can see the canvases of such outstanding authors as Rembrandt, Rubens, Boucher, Van Dyck, Van Heemskerk, Van Gogh and other talented painters, fascinating with their plots. The property of the gallery is the works of the medieval painter Stefan Lochner - "The Last Judgment" and "The Mother of God in the Gazebo of Roses". The museum is famous for a series of paintings that reflect religious themes.

The exhibition halls of the complex receive visitors from 10:00 to 18:00 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday-Sunday) and from 10: 00-21: 00 (Thursday). The day off is Monday.

Käthe Kollwitz Museum

German artist Kete Kollwitz is a prominent representative of Expressionism at the beginning of the 20th century. The expressive drawings, engravings and sculptures of the famous opponent of National Socialism can be found in her personal museum located in the Neumarkt Passage shopping complex. The works of K.Kollwitz make visitors think about the consequences and tragedies of wars, as well as feel the despair of workers and peasants exhausted by backbreaking work.

Emotional artwork and engravings reflect difficult human lives, which explains the popularity of Kollwitz's works. Pain, suffering, hunger, the search for justice and poverty - all of this is presented in the famous series of paintings "Rebellion of the Weavers", "Proletariat" and "War".

The collection can be seen every day except Monday. Working hours: 10: 00-18: 00 (Tuesday-Friday), 11: 00-18: 00 (Saturday, Sunday).

Roman-Germanic Museum

In the immediate vicinity of the famous Cologne Cathedral there is the Romano-Germanic Archaeological Museum. Its collection includes about three million valuable artifacts found in and around Cologne. In a modern gray building, there is an exhibition that testifies to the historical period when one of the colonies of the Roman Empire was founded on the banks of the Rhine. Most of the presented unique specimens date from the first centuries of our era.

Walking through the numerous exhibition halls of the complex, visitors will see an impressive collection of all kinds of rare objects. These are sculptural groups, sarcophagi, figurines, ancient gravestones, jewelry, clothing, shoes, dishes, weapons, wall fragments, examples of architecture with bas-relief images, columns and much more. Lovers of exquisite antiquity will be amused to consider golden laurel wreaths, buckles and rings of emperors, as well as cutlery and household items of noble persons.

The pride of the exhibition is the colorful mosaic floor consisting of multi-colored limestone, glass and ceramic tiles. This surviving masterpiece of art adorned the interiors of a Roman villa. The mosaic panel depicts scenes from the life of the Greek god of wine Dionysus. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00 (Tuesday-Sunday).

Museum of the Cologne Diocese "Columbus"

In the historic district of the city there is an art museum of religious art of the Cologne Archdiocese (diocese). This is a unique architectural object of Cologne. The modern building was erected on the site of the ruins of the Church of St. Columba. The surviving fragment of the wall of the destroyed church is literally built into the facade of the new building. A very extensive exposition is collected in sixteen exhibition halls. It contains a collection of paintings, old icons, antique prints, sculptural compositions and church utensils.

The Archdiocese collection spans over 2000 years. The exhibits are presented to viewers without information tables with descriptions and dates of creation of works. This is done so that visitors can get exclusively aesthetic pleasure without studying the plates. A special place is occupied by the painting "Madonna of the Violets", painted in the 15th century. In the basement of the building, you can see the archaeological excavations of the foundation of the temple and the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Open every day from 12:00 to 17:00.

Schnütgen Museum

When planning a trip to Cologne, tourists should include a visit to the former Catholic Basilica of St. Cecilia in their cultural walk. The three-nave building without a transept and with numerous lancet windows is an expressive representative of the Romanesque style of architecture. A collection of unique artifacts of religious art from the Middle Ages is kept under tall, silvery-white vaults. The interior of the church building with arched galleries and massive columns creates an extraordinary historical environment. The fund is based on valuable exhibits donated to the city municipality by Archbishop Alexander Shnyutgen at the beginning of the last century.

The exposition is a collection of elements of church decoration, tapestries, paintings, figurines, masterpieces of jewelry, samples of textiles and various decorative items. Visitors can get acquainted with ancient vestments and liturgical vestments of the clergy. The colorful temple windows are striking in their graceful design. Picturesque art canvases illustrate biblical stories. Connoisseurs of sacred art are of particular interest in a variety of sculptures of the Virgin Mary, made of wood, gold, silver and ivory.

Opening hours: 10: 00-18: 00 and 10: 00-20: 00 (on Thursdays).

Cologne City Center for Documentation of National Socialism

The former headquarters of the Cologne Gestapo houses the National Socialism Museum. The presented exposition of this depressing atmospheric place calls on humanity to remember the tragic times of the domination of the "Third Reich". Here are collected numerous audio and video materials, photographs, booklets, posters and various archival documents that open to visitors evidence of the birth, formation and development of fascism in Germany.

The exhibits provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of the National Socialist regime. The institution is designed to show the chronicle of the work of the Gestapo, the methods of which were persecution, executions, imprisonment, torture and propaganda of Nazism. In the basement of the building, prison cells have been preserved, instilling a sense of horror and despair. On the walls of the prisons, you can see the inscriptions and drawings of prisoners. Many phrases were made in Russian.

It works from 10: 00-18: 00 (Tuesday-Friday) and from 11: 00-18: 00 (Saturday, Sunday). Monday is a day off.

German Museum of Sports and Olympic Games

An impressive collection of sports exhibits is on display. It is a fine example of a cultural institution capable of captivating fans and sports fans of all ages. Here you can see game shells, medals, cups, photographs, various equipment, as well as spend time actively and entertainingly. Unique interactive events are organized for the visitors of the complex, which has an area of ​​about 2000 square meters. Crossing the threshold of the exhibition halls, tourists are immersed in the atmosphere of movement and excitement.

Those who wish can test their strength in the ring, ride a bicycle inside a wind tunnel, do gymnastics, take part in a football and hockey match, ride a bobsled, and be the head coach of one of the teams. Among the exhibits, attention should be paid to the legendary Formula 1 race cars Benetton-Ford and Ferrari F1-91-A, on which Michael Schumacher won the championship. One of the pavilions has a large screen showing football matches and the best goals of the year.

The complex awaits guests every day, except Monday, from 10:00 to 18:00 (Tuesday-Friday) and from 11:00 to 19:00 (Saturday, Sunday).

Museum of applied arts

Not far from Cologne Cathedral and the main train station is the Museum of Applied Arts, founded at the end of the 19th century. This one of the oldest institutions in the city has the widest collection of handicrafts, household items and all kinds of decorative elements of the interior. The doors of the complex are open from Tuesday to Sunday. Opening hours: 11: 00-17: 00.

There are about 100,000 exhibits on display, which were created by German masters of different eras. These are dishes, clothes, furniture, textiles, jewelry, tapestries, household appliances and much more. The exhibition is dedicated to the applied arts of both the medieval and modern periods.Most of the items previously belonged to representatives of the European nobility and clergy.

The collection of unique products of the German faience manufactory is of interest. Tea sets, jugs, dishes and vases are painted with exquisite gold and silver ornaments. On the dishes, you can see picturesque illustrations describing the customs of the Germans or idyllic villages with castles, churches and endless forests. Behind the glass shelves, there are boxes decorated in the form of outlandish figurines or animals. The exhibition of the history of fashion, from 1800 to the present day, attracts attention. The outfits presented in the hall make it possible to trace how the European style of clothing has changed and developed over three centuries.

Museum of East Asian Art

Since 1913, an exhibition has been running, specializing in displaying a collection of various works of art by East Asian masters. The museum fund has an impressive number of luxurious and amazing artifacts brought from China, Japan and Korea. The exposition includes Buddhist paintings, painted screens, wooden sculptures, dishes, lacquered boxes, porcelain and ceramics, jewelry, prints, books, furniture and much more.

The exhibition runs from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. The exhibits are housed in a building designed by the Japanese architect K. Maekawa. A special entourage is created by a landscaped Japanese garden with stone compositions, a pond and lush flowering trees.

Rautenstrauch-Jost Ethnological Museum

The collection consists of over 60,000 artifacts, 100,000 photographs and 40,000 volumes of scientific publications. The magnificent exhibits, divided into thematic blocks, provide an insight into the cultural values, everyday traditions and holiday customs of ethnic groups in the countries of Oceania, Asia, America and Africa. Visitors to the exhibition will receive extensive information about the foundations of life and rituals, the role of religion and family, as well as the relationship between men and women.

Exhibits include household items and art, jewelry and clothing items, figurines and various sacred artifacts. It is worth highlighting a number of drawers equipped with touch screens for displaying photo and video materials. In a separate room, the exposition is devoted to children's education and growing up. It will be interesting to see the recreated rooms of teenagers from Japan, Canada, Turkey, Germany or Sierra Leone.

Open every day except Mondays from 10:00 to 18:00.

Schumacher Museum

In 2018, the official opening of an exhibition dedicated to the legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher took place. The collection is located on the territory of the former airfield. Cologne is the closest major city to the birthplace of Schumacher. Fans of the talent of the seven-time world champion are presented with more than 200 exhibits characterizing all stages of the career of the world famous successful pilot. These are cups, awards, helmets, suits, shoes, gloves, photographs, personal items, video materials and much more. The exhibition pavilions house personal race cars on which Schumacher won trophies. Ferrari, Mercedes and Benetton racing cars were donated to the rider for his merits and achievements in motorsport.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00.

Cologne museums on the map