The museums of Cologne

Ludwig Museum

The collection of the Museum Ludwig comprises the most important stages and positions in the development of 20th century art and contemporary art. Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and George Segal, all icons of American Pop Art, had just been completed when in 1969 they were included as loans in the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. The works came from Peter and Irene Ludwig who have built up the biggest collection of Pop Art outside the USA. In 1976 the Museum Ludwig was founded with a gift of 350 works of modern art by the Ludwigs.

Apart from pop art the Ludwigs also donated a large collection of Russian Avantgarde from the period 1906 to 1930 and a voluminous collection of several hundred works by Pablo Picasso as a permanent loan. The works by Picasso have meanwhile become the property of the Museum Ludwig thanks to two generous gifts in 1994 and 2001. Photo: © Thomas Riehle / Köln Tourismus GmbH

Chocolate museum Cologne

The Cologne Chocolate Museum was founded in 1993 and financed by Dr. Hans Imhoff, then chairman of the governing body of Stollwerck, a Cologne company with a long tradition. Today it is an independent, one-of-a-kind museum providing insight into a variety of aspects of the past and present of chocolate and cocoa in an exciting way.

Current developments in the field of "chocolate and cocoa" are also covered, independent of brands, companies and special interests. Collection, preservation and research are also included in the scope of our activities, as is exciting presentation of enticing exhibits. Intended as a gift to Hans Imhoff's home city of Cologne, the Chocolate Museum is self-supporting thanks to its immense popularity among visitors, and can cover its own running costs, which is unique in the world of museums. Photo: © Schokoladenmuseum.de

Schnütgen Museum

The Museum Schütger of Christian Art in Cologne belongs among the most outstanding places for the study and exhibition of medieval art in Europe and North America. Visitors can discover the art of the middle ages and later periods in the unique ambience of the Romanesque church of St. Cecilia, turned into a museum in 1956, as well as an adjacent building soon to be opened.

Alexander Schnütgen, who laid the base for our outstanding collection of Christian art ranging form the 5th to the 19th century, donated all his artworks to the city of Cologne in 1906. Up to now people tell stories about his zealous and sometimes crafty collection tactics. Photo: © Dieter Jacobi / Köln Tourismus GmbH

Ethnographic Museum Rautenstrauch

The Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum of Ethnography in Cologne was founded in 1901 and is the only one of its kind in North Rhine-Westphalia. The core of the collection was assembled by Wilhelm Joest, an ethnologist, who had travelled extensively all over the world. His sister Adele Rautenstrauch and her husband generously donated the present museum, specially built for this purpose, to the city of Cologne. The collection now comprises about 65.000 objects and more than 100.000 historical photographs. The museum regards its function as a guardian of cultural legacy, educational institution, and centre for information and discussions. The foremost aim is to create respect for the multitude of non-European cultures. One focus of exhibitions therefor is the comparative approach and presentation of special topics which are relevant for everybody throughout the world. Photo: © Martien Claßen Arno Jansen

Museum of Applied Arts

The museum preserves and expands one of the most important German collections of European applied art from the Middle-Ages to the present-day and a high-quality collection of design from 1900 onwards. It offers a tour through rooms designed to illustrate the most various epochs and styles since the Gothic period. Furniture and tapestries, objects used in dining and banqueting, utensils and textiles designed to the highest standard, small sculptures, luxury objects and objects of ornamentation tell the story of interiors furnished with a high regard to quality - nowadays referred to as interior design. more... Photo: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv Maria Lucke

Museum for East Asian Art

The Museum for East Asian Art was opened in 1913 as the first specialist museum of its kind in Europe. Together with the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Museum of Asian Art) in Berlin it now houses the most important collection of art from China, Korea and Japan in Germany. With their collection, the museum’s founders hoped to convey a comprehensive picture of every genre and period of East Asian art. But in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was anything but easy to imagine how Chinese art, for example, had developed. China was in a semi-colonial state; there were no public museums. More... Photo: © Mike Dyna Köln Tourismus GmbH