RadioMuseum Köln

About the museum

The RadioMuseum Köln is run by the Fördergesellschaft RadioMuseum Köln e. V., founded in 1999 to make a collection on broadcasting history accessible to the public; the collecting itself goes back to the 1990s. Founder Heribert Wüstenberg played a formative role. Today around a dozen volunteer radio and electronics enthusiasts run the museum.

The exhibition is located in the basement of a commercial building on Waltherstraße in Dellbrück. With some 4,000 objects, it traces the technical and cultural development of broadcasting and sound recording – from Edison's phonograph and early crystal radios through tube sets and the Volksempfänger (people's receiver) to transistor radios of the 1980s. A regional connection is intentional: Cologne was an early broadcasting center, and WERAG was already transmitting from Raderthal in 1926. During opening hours, the association's members bring historic medium-wave transmitters back to life on their old frequencies.

In 2016 a selection from the collection was shown at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln. The association also restores and repairs old devices. Because the owner wants to renovate the current premises, the association is looking for affordable new space.

Highlights

• Around 4,000 devices on radio and audio technology
• Edison's phonograph and early crystal radios
• Volksempfänger VE 301 with simulated Reichssender reception
• Historic medium-wave transmitters on their original frequencies
• Guided tours by volunteer experts

Permanent exhibitions

• Radio- und Tontechnik von Edison bis in die 1980er-Jahre – Permanent exhibition with receivers, phonographs, and sound recording devices that tells the technical and cultural history of broadcasting.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Fördergesellschaft RadioMuseum Köln e. V.

Admission & discounts

Admission €5 per person; no reductions listed.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

On foot, go briefly through Gate 5 to Building 32. By car, take Waltherstraße to the entrance at Gate 3.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit