Cologne's museum of 20th- and 21st-century art next to the cathedral, home to Europe's largest Pop Art collection and the world's third-largest Picasso collection.
February 7, 2026 – November 8, 2026
Indigenous US artists Marie Watt and Wendy Red Star enter into dialogue with colorful Photochroms made by the Detroit Publishing Company around 1900, questioning their depopulated images of America; Watt's jingle sculptures may be touched.
April 18, 2026 – October 11, 2026
Photographs by seven photographers, including Evelyn Richter, Ute Mahler and Derek Bennett, show people and everyday life in both German states around 1980.
From July 18, 2026
Jana Euler covers the large end wall of the stairwell with a three-part mural about seeing and being seen in the museum; expected to remain on view until July 2028.
October 3, 2026 – March 7, 2027
Major anniversary exhibition for the museum's 50th birthday, bringing together art, literature and music of the Black diaspora – from the Harlem Renaissance to the present – with works of European modernism from the collection.
October 31, 2026 – April 4, 2027
A presentation in the photography rooms on the creation and history of Man Ray's nude of Kiki de Montparnasse seen from behind, with painted-on violin f-holes – a key work of Surrealism.
November 7, 2026 – April 4, 2027
Exhibition marking the award of the 32nd Wolfgang Hahn Prize to the South Korean artist and co-founder of the Mono-ha movement, known for his pared-down painting.
The foundation was laid by Cologne lawyer Josef Haubrich, who in 1946 gave the city his collection of Expressionism and classical modernism to replace the works lost during the Nazi era. The holdings initially belonged to the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and grew in 1957 and 1958 with additions including paintings by Max Beckmann and the Strecker collection. In the late 1960s, loans from the collector couple Peter and Irene Ludwig followed.
On February 23, 1976, the Ludwigs donated 350 works of modern art to the city on the condition that it create a dedicated museum for art after 1900 – the founding date of Museum Ludwig. In 1986 it moved, together with the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and the Philharmonie concert hall, into the new building by Peter Busmann and Godfrid Haberer between the cathedral and the Rhine, whose sawtooth roof still shapes the cityscape today.
After the Ludwigs donated a further 90 works by Picasso in 1994, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum moved out; since 2001 Museum Ludwig has had the building to itself. For the reopening, Irene Ludwig donated 774 more Picasso works, giving Cologne the third-largest Picasso collection after Barcelona and Paris.
Today the collection ranges from the Russian avant-garde, Expressionism and Surrealism to the most extensive Pop Art collection outside the US and on to contemporary art; the photography collection numbers around 70,000 works. In 2026 the museum celebrates its 50th anniversary with an extensive anniversary program.
| Adults | €13.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €9.50Students, trainees, people doing military service or the Federal Volunteer Service, members of BBK and IGBK, volunteer youth leaders and holders of volunteer cards (Ehrenamtskarte) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people up to 18 and school students get free admission to the collection and special exhibitions. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6.75companion free · People with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more pay half the regular admission; companions are free if the ID carries the “B” marker. |
| Students & apprentices | €9.50Students of art and art history at universities in Cologne or Bonn get free admission. |
| Groups (20+ people) | €10 per personPer-person price for groups of 20 or more. School classes including two teachers are free. Guided tours through Museumsdienst Köln; groups with their own guide in special exhibitions must register (booking fee €25, waived for schools); there is no fee in the collection. |
| Families | –No dedicated family ticket, since children and young people are free; the MuseumCard Family (€30) is valid for two adults and two children in all municipal museums. |
Free admission: KölnTag on the first Thursday of the month (except public holidays): free admission all day for Cologne residents; everyone else pays €7 from 17:00
The ticket is valid for the collection and all special exhibitions; online tickets have time slots. Free admission for, among others, Cologne residents on their birthday, Köln-Pass holders, refugees (+1 companion), holders of the Cologne artist card (Kölner Künstlerkarte) and members of the friends' associations as well as ICOM and the Museumsbund. MuseumCard Single €18 (two consecutive opening days in all municipal museums, including public transport in Cologne on the first day); annual pass for the Cologne museums including special exhibitions €90; 20% off with the KölnCard. Public guided tours of special exhibitions €2 plus admission, of the collection free plus admission. Audio guide €3.50.
Step-free accessible entrance with a lift at Bischofsgartenstraße 1 (south side, doorbell at a height of 110 cm); all exhibition areas can be reached by elevator. Three wheelchair-accessible restrooms with emergency call, loan wheelchairs and folding stools at the cloakroom, induction loops on guided tours. Two accessible parking spaces on Bischofsgartenstraße. For blind and visually impaired people there is the conversational tour “Über Worte zu Bildern” (€2 plus admission, register via Museumsdienst Köln); tours in sign language at selected events.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Dedicated audio guide for children; family tours, weekend workshops, holiday programs and children's birthday parties (approx. 2.5 hrs) through Museumsdienst Köln. Strollers are allowed in the exhibition; baby changing table in the restrooms off the entrance foyer. Children under 12 only when accompanied by an adult.
Dom/Hauptbahnhof
Directly opposite Köln Hauptbahnhof (long-distance, regional and S-Bahn trains, including from Cologne/Bonn Airport) and the Dom/Hauptbahnhof subway stop.
Parking available
No dedicated visitor parking; Parkhaus Dom, the Rheingarten underground parking and Parkhaus Groß St. Martin are close by. Two accessible parking spaces on Bischofsgartenstraße near the step-free entrance.
Café-restaurant “Ludwig im Museum” (Tue–Sat 9:00–24:00, Sun 9:00–21:00, closed Mon), also accessible from outside. Museum shop run by the Walther König bookshop. Staffed cloakroom and lockers; bags larger than A4, backpacks and umbrellas must be checked. Free Wi-Fi “Museum Ludwig”.
No general venue rental is offered: exclusive evening events in the museum are reserved for companies that become museum partners.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Allowed in the collection for private purposes without flash, tripod or selfie stick; photography is sometimes prohibited in temporary exhibitions |
All 28 museums in Cologne All museums in North Rhine-Westphalia
Cookies help you use this website. We only load the map and statistics with your consent.