Schokoladenmuseum Köln

About the museum

The idea goes back to Cologne entrepreneur Hans Imhoff (1922–2007), who had turned around the confectionery group Stollwerck. When the company moved to Porz in 1975, he rescued numerous historical objects and documents that had already been set aside as waste and had them examined by experts – the foundation of the later collection. An exhibition marking Stollwerck's 150th anniversary at the Gürzenich in 1989 drew many times the expected number of visitors and convinced him to build a museum of his own.

In 1992 Imhoff acquired the former Prussian main customs office of 1898, the Malakoffturm, and the swing bridge at the tip of the Rheinauhafen. Complemented by a new glass-and-metal building whose shape recalls a ship, the museum opened on October 31, 1993, after a construction period of just 13 months. Imhoff covered the cost of 53 million deutschmarks himself; to this day the museum operates without public subsidies.

After Stollwerck was sold, Lindt & Sprüngli became the museum's partner in 2006, and since 2017 it has been called Schokoladenmuseum Köln. After the founder's death, Gerburg Imhoff ran the museum until the end of 2015; since then it has been directed by his daughter Annette Imhoff, since 2025 together with Dominik Schröder.

The tour leads from the tropical house with cocoa trees through the glass-walled production area with the famous chocolate fountain to the cultural history section reopened in 2025, which also addresses colonialism and women's labor in the chocolate industry. With 716,000 visits in 2025, the museum is among the most visited in Germany.

Highlights

• Three-meter-high chocolate fountain with fresh Lindt chocolate
• Glass-walled chocolate factory and workshop where you can design your own bar
• Tropical house with living cocoa trees
• Cultural history section "Zeitreise des Kakaos" (Cocoa's Journey Through Time) with historical drinking vessels and Stollwerck objects
• Location at the tip of the Rheinauhafen with the Malakoffturm and historic swing bridge

Permanent exhibitions

• Weltreise des Kakaos – Across more than 600 m², the exhibition covers the cultivation, transport, trade, and consumption of cocoa, with sustainability as the common thread – from the tropical house to the glass-walled production area with its chocolate fountain and workshop.
• Zeitreise des Kakaos – Redesigned in 2025, the cultural history section traces 5,000 years of cocoa history from its origins in South America to industrial production, and also sheds light on colonialism and the work of the "Stollwerck-Mädchen" (Stollwerck girls).
• Schokolade ist ein Gefühl – Interactive finale on the top floor with ten colorful emotion stations and a media wall showing chocolate advertising from past decades.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Schokoladenmuseum Köln GmbH (Familie Imhoff)

Director

Annette Imhoff und Dominik Schröder

Visitors per year

approx. 716,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Higher prices apply on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (adults €19). Flex tickets without a fixed date, valid for three years: adults €22, children €14.50, family €58.50. Online tickets with a chosen time slot let you skip the ticket desk; guided tours, classes, and tastings cost extra. Seasonal combination tickets with the Ferris wheel next to the museum or a Rhine boat trip. At the ticket desk you can pay in cash, by EC card, or by credit card.

Accessibility

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

All exhibition rooms, the CHOCOLAT Grand Café, and the shop are step-free via level paths, ramps, and three elevators; the event rooms are also accessible (except the wedding gallery). As a food business, the museum does not allow animals – no exception for assistance dogs is mentioned.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family tours "Kleine Schoko-Schule" (Little Chocolate School, age 4 and up) and "Große Schoko-Schule" (Big Chocolate School, age 8 and up), chocolate classes from age 8 (under 10 only with an adult), holiday programs during NRW school holidays, and a museum quiz with a chance to win. Children's birthday parties as a class with the chocolatier (no separate room; bringing your own food is not allowed). Children aged 12 and up may visit the museum on their own. All exhibition rooms can be reached with a stroller by elevator.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

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

CHOCOLAT Grand Café, a panoramic café-restaurant with a Rhine terrace, plus the "Hafenterrasse" beer garden; CHOCOLAT Shop with a focus on Lindt. Staffed coat check €1.50 (family box €5), no lockers. Exhibition, café, and shop are air-conditioned. Dogs allowed on the café terrace only.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 400 guests.

Panoramic restaurant on the Rhine with terrace (up to 400 guests) and the Bel Etage with a view of the cathedral (35–80 guests), which has been an official wedding venue of the Cologne registry office since 2006 (weddings Thu–Sat). Exclusive opening of the exhibition outside regular hours and in-house event catering.

Plan your visit