One of the most famous museums of Cologne is the Museum Ludwig, which is one of the ten municipal ones. But there are also many ecclesiastical and private museums in this cathedral city. Once a year in autumn the "Long night of the museums" (German site) takes place. The museums then open until late at night and you can visit them all for a fixed price of around 13 Euro.

 

Must see

Museum Ludwig
The Museum Ludwig is devoted to modern art from the beginning of the 20th century. The highlight of the museum is the collection of Pop Art. There usually are two or more temporary exhibitions. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
Fondation Corboud is one of the greatest traditional picture galleries in Germany. There you can see altar pieces and crosses from the Middle Age as well as portraits from the 18th and 19th century. www.museenkoeln.de

Römisch-Germanisches Museum
The Römisch-Germanisches Museum gives an impressive account of the history of the Romans along the Rhine. Highlight is the old Dionysos mosaic, which stretches over the lower floor. www.museenkoeln.de

Kolumba - Diocesan museum
The art museum of the archbishopric of Cologne is located in a church ruin and indicates one of the oldest collection of religious art. www.kolumba.de

 

 

Nice to see

Art association of Cologne
The "Kölnische Kunstverein" is one of the most renowned exhibition institutions, and its activities are highly regarded internationally. www.koelnischerkunstverein.de

 

Artothek
The Artothek is housed in a Gothic house from the 15th century. You can here borrow modern art for a small annual fee and decorate your home with contemporary paintings. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Cologne Carnival museum
The city of Carnival in Germany does need a carnival museum, of course! In there the visitor can discover the history of Carnival from its beginnings to the present day. www.kk-museum.de

 

Cologne City museum
The visitor can embark on a tour of the history of the city of Cologne and its inhabitants from the late Middle Ages to the present day. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Documentation center for the National Socialism
The "NS-Dokumentationszentrum" documents how the cruel epoch of the national socialism influenced the life in and around Cologne. The exhibition is set in a former prison of the Third Reich.

 

German Sport and Olympics museum
The museum provides an insight into the history of national, international and olympic sports. www.sportmuseum.info

 

 

Museum of Applied Art
The "Museum für Angewandte Kunst" preserves and expands one of the most important German collections of European applied art from the Middle Ages to the present day. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Museum of Chocolate
The private "Schokoladenmuseum" located at the banks of the Rhine provides a sweet interlude and contains everything worth knowing and tasting about the history of chocolate. www.schokoladenmuseum.de (German site)

Museum of East Asian Art
The "Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst" in Cologne houses Chinese, Korean and Japanese art. www.museenkoeln.de

 

 

Museum Schnütgen
Visitors experience art treasures from the early Middle Ages until the end of the Baroque period in the unique ambiance of a medieval church building. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Photographic Collection / SK Stiftung Kultur Köln
Based on the work of the important German photographer August Sander, the museum focuses on factual documentary and conceptual photography. www.sk-kultur.de

 

Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum
With the Rautenstrauch-Jost Museum, the city also has the only ynthropology museum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The museum has been thouroughly refurbished and will soon open in a bigger version. www.museenkoeln.de

 

Treasure Chamber of Cologne Cathedral
The treasure chamber is located in a separate room of the Cathedral. Precious relics, liturgical equipment and textiles, medieval sculptures and Frankish grave finds are presented. www.koelner-dom.de