Cologne - Museums

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Cologne

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Overview

Museums The guide was updated: 2024-02-16

Boasting a history that dates back to over 2000 years ago, this ancient city is a cultural hub rich in traditions. Historical sites can be found everywhere throughout the city, but it´s inside the numerous museums that the real gems are kept for art lovers and tourists to enjoy.

The city features ten municipal museums ranging from art galleries, such as the Ludwig, to historical ones, like the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, treating the travellers with a good number of private galleries and ecclesiastic museums as well.

Wallraf-Richartz Museum

Wallraf-Richartz Museum

This is one of the largest traditional art galleries in Germany, housing a medieval art collection with an almost complete collection of local painting on wood dating from 1300 to 1550. There are also sections dedicated to Renaissance, Impressionist and Baroque art. The last one includes works by Rubens, Rembrandt and Van Dyck.

Museum Ludwig

Museum Ludwig

The permanent exhibition of the Museum Ludwig features modern art, including numerous works belonging to Pop Art, Surrealism and Expressionism artists, as well as one of the biggest collections of Picasso paintings in the world. The museum also houses a large photography collection and exhibitions of contemporary art, allowing you to dive into the past 100 years of art in one afternoon.

Museum of Applied Art Cologne (MAKK)

Museum of Applied Art Cologne (MAKK)

Discover ten centuries of applied arts by exploring this 5,000 square metres museum. The MAKK boats a collection of over 100,000 items of European arts and crafts, including furniture, utensils, decorative objects, ceramics, jewellery, glasswork, textiles and more. The modern design section is especially large and renowned.

Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Cultures of the World

Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Cultures of the World

This ethnological museum, which was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize in 2012, provides insights into both new and old, exotic and familiar worlds. Visitors embark on a multi-media, interactive voyage of discovery with objects from Africa, Asia, America, Oceania and Europe on a 3.600 m² exhibition space.

Roman-Germanic Museum

Roman-Germanic Museum

This is one of the most comprehensive collections of Roman and Germanic archaeological finds in Germany, ranging from prehistoric times through to the Middle Ages and including the famous mosaic of Dionysus, which dates from around 200 AD.

German Sports & Olympic Museum

German Sports & Olympic Museum

Have a look at 3000 years of sports history and experience the emotional range of sports: unforgettable highlights, great athletes, triumphant victories and bitter defeats. From 2011, the permanent exhibition shows freshly updated highlights of sports from the last decade, including an exhibition on the development of trend sports like surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX.

Odysseum

Odysseum

Odysseum is a learning playground designed for the entertainment of children, but equally enjoyable for adults. Its themed exhibitions allow visitors to learn about technology, nature, space and more interesting topics through interactive stations and experiences, like taking part in an archaeological excavation or entering a flight simulator.

Dance Museum

Dance Museum

This museum is the place to encounter the art of dance and learn more about its history. Exhibitions and events like film screenings and lectures make it a meeting point for everyone interested in this subject.

Farina Fragrance Museum

Farina Fragrance Museum

There is probably no better place than Cologne to discover the world of perfume. Guided tours of the Farina Fragrance Museum last 45 minutes and will carry you on a journey through three centuries of perfume making history. Of course, Eau de Cologne is the main focus of the tour.

Kölner Karnevalsmuseum (Carnival Museum of Cologne)

Kölner Karnevalsmuseum (Carnival Museum of Cologne)

Using sounds, images and objects, this museum gives visitors an idea of the exciting atmosphere, celebrations, colours and joyful spirit carnival celebrations in Europe, exploring their history throughout the centuries.

Käthe Kollwitz Museum

Käthe Kollwitz Museum

This museum is dedicated to the work of the German artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945). From the artistic beginnings to her last drawing, the museum provides a unique insight into her artistic work, since it's the world´s largest collection of drawings, prints and sculptures made by her.

Chocolate Museum

Chocolate Museum

At this unique museum you can learn about te history of chocolate production and consumption from its early beginnings 5000 years ago to the present. The museum also houses a chocolate fountain, a café and a chocolate shop, just in case you feel like indulging in a sweet treat after your visit.

Cologne City Museum

Cologne City Museum

On about 2000 square metres, the Cologne City Museum presents the history of the city of Cologne from the Middle Ages onward. The museum is housed in the "Zeughaus" – the city's former armoury, built around 1600. The collection provides visitors with the opportunity to gain an insight into the political history, economy, intellectual, religious and everyday life, as well as the special characteristics of the city.

NS Documentation Center

NS Documentation Center

The NS Documentation Center is a museum that commemorates the victims of the Nazi regime and houses an exhibition on political, social and community life in Cologne during the Nazi era. The building was once a detention centre, so you can visit the prisoners' cells where about 1,800 inscriptions have survived on the walls.

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