Kölnisches Stadtmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Cologne's city council decided in 1888 to found a historical museum, which was initially housed in the medieval Hahnentorburg gate and, from 1902, additionally in the Eigelsteintorburg gate. Its core holdings were weapons and antiquities from the municipal armory, the council tower and the Wallraf collection. In the 1920s and 1930s, the collection was absorbed into the planned "Rheinisches Museum" in Deutz, which the Nazis used for propaganda purposes from 1936 as the "Haus der Rheinischen Heimat".

After the war, the museum moved into the rebuilt Zeughaus (armory) on the edge of the old town and was named Kölnisches Stadtmuseum from 1958; the neighboring Alte Wache was used for special exhibitions from 1973. Following a reinstallation in 1984, the museum was one of the first city museums to address contemporary history and the Nazi era in detail, and it built up collections on the history of everyday life and migration.

Water damage in 2017 made it necessary to clear out the permanent exhibition in the Zeughaus. In 2018 the council decided to move the museum temporarily into the former Modehaus Franz Sauer on Minoritenstraße until a permanent new building is realized. In March 2024 a completely redesigned permanent exhibition opened there, telling Cologne's history not chronologically but through questions such as "Was lieben wir?" (What do we love?) or "Was macht uns Angst?" (What scares us?). The collection comprises around half a million objects; the museum also includes a furnished museum apartment from the 1920s in Höhenberg and a reference library.

Highlights

• Historic model of Cologne in the year 1571 with augmented reality
• Thematic rooms such as "Was macht uns Angst?" (What scares us?) and "Worauf haben wir Lust?" (What do we crave?)
• Objects ranging from a medieval wooden horse to an FC Köln fan vest
• Many hands-on and tactile stations, designed to be inclusive
• Freely accessible OPEN SPACE in the foyer with changing themes

Permanent exhibitions

• Köln neu erzählt – Permanent exhibition presenting the city's history from the Middle Ages to the present in thematic rooms centered on feelings, faith, fears and pleasures, with a compact overview of the eras at the beginning.

Founded

1888

Operated by

Stadt Köln

Director

Dr. Matthias Hamann

Admission & discounts

Free admission: KölnTag on the first Thursday of the month: free admission for Cologne residents

Free admission also for Köln-Pass holders, Cologne residents on their birthday, the press, and people under temporary protection under Section 24 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG). The OPEN SPACE in the foyer is freely accessible.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

Ground-level entrance with automatic door, elevators to all floors, wheelchair-accessible restroom, ticket desk and displays accessible from a wheelchair, free folding chairs. Tactile floor guidance system throughout, tactile floor plans, key texts in Braille, touch objects and hands-on stations. MultiMediaGuide with a tour for visually impaired visitors and videos in German Sign Language; a highlights tour in plain language has been announced. All exhibition texts available as an accessible document.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

MultiMediaGuide with a tour for children and numerous hands-on stations in the exhibition; family tours on Sundays every two weeks, children's programs (ages 6–10 and 9–13) and children's birthday parties (approx. 2.5 hours) through the Museumsdienst Köln.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Museum shop. Cafés and restaurants nearby.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit