The Roman-Germanic Museum

During construction on a site next to the Dom (cathedral) in 1941, a floor mosaic from between 220 and 230 A.C.E. was discovered, which depicts the Greek God of Revelry, Dionysus, in a dance scene portrayed with flower and animal motifs.  The mosaic belonged to the dinning hall of a roman city villa, which had over 20 rooms and covered 3,400m² of surface area. Precisely over this mosaic floor was

built the Roman-Germanic Museum in 1974.  the museum shows the every-day life in the former roman city, Cologne. Positioned all around the mosaic are thousands of beautiful artefacts from Cologne during the roman era, underneath, tools, eauing utensils and weapons. Cologne was the

center of glass blowing during the Roman era. The museum posses the largest roman glass collection in the world. Equally impressive is Lucius Poblicius’ (ca. 40 A.C.E.) epitaph directly over the Dionysus mosaic. Reconstructed from original stone  blocks stands the middle passage fo the Roman North Tower, whose right side entrance is standing at Cologne’s tourist office. Tours can be found, outside of the summer holiday, every Sunday at 11.30am.

Adress: 4 Roncalliplatz, tel. 221-24590. Open Tue-Sun from 10am to 5pm, closed on mondays. The museum is located right to the cathedral. Internet: www.museenkoeln.de.

300 years were needed for the raw material to ripen for what we gladly eat: chocolate. With sweets from the coca bean, the Cologne Chocolate Factory “Stollwerck” has made its money over the decades. As a heartfelt thanks, the previous owner, Dr. Hans Imhoff, opened a museum in honor of chocolate, the Imhoff Stollwerk Museum. One can follow the production process (on site) of table chocolate and pralines. Monitor the entry of the raw materials into the

process by viewing the greenhouse in which their own coca beans grow. Finished chocolate flows out of a fountain, just like in the land of milk and honey. Nibbling is not only allowed, rather preferred. On old computer screens you can view the chocolate advertisements from Grandpa’s time. The museum restaurant, with its view of the Rhine, offers hearty meals too. The Chocolate Museum lies in the Rhine’s flow just next to the shore and is open Tues to Fri.

from 10am to 6pm; Sat., Sun. and holidays from 11am to 7pm. The last entry is an hour before closing time. Mondays they are closed. Further information at (tel.) 931 888-0. more One of the favorite expositions: the Choco Fountain.

Modern Art at the Museum Ludwig

A museum of modern art with one-of-a-kind collection of modern art from 1900 to today. Expressionism, Russian avant-garde, American pop-art form the 1960s, the art of the Graphic and Camera up to the contemporary works of 1986 are on exhibit at the wide running and modern structure. The museum was decreed the third large Picasso collection world-wide after Barcelona and Paris. All thanks are due to

the museum founder Peter Ludwig, one of those who died unfortunately as one of  the Aachener Factory owners. Together with his wife, Irene, Ludwig donated 350 works of modern art to Cologne in 1976 for the express purpose to open a brand new museum. This was the birth hour of the

Museum Ludwig. Of course the core collection was begun then, but it was the immensely rich art collection of Cologne lawyer Dr. Josef Haubrich that made the museum what it is today. During the Third Reich, Haubrich bought up many art works to protect them for des- truction by the Nazis. In 1946 he donated his collection to the city of Cologne. Among which one finds an envoy from Expressionism, like Erich Hekel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner or August Macke and the classic moderns, like Marc Chagall or Otto Dix. Conclusion: One can not miss a visit to the Museum Ludwig at any cost.

Address: 1 Bischofsgartenstr. (backside of the Dom). Tel. 221-22382. Open: Tue. 10am-8pm, Wed.-Fri. 10am to 6pm, Sat. and Sun. 11am to 6pm. Closed on mondays.

The Wallraf Richartz Museum

The Wallraf Richartz Museum (WRM) was founded in the 19th century in the name of the former Rector of the University of Cologne, Prof. Ferdinand Franz Wallraf and the Cologne Salesman Johann Heinrich Richartz. Wallraf bought up much of the sacramental artworks from

Cologne’s churches and cloisters during the occupation by Napoleon’s forces, preser- ving them from destruction by the secula- rists. The money for the reconstruction of the museum following the Second World War was provided by Johann Heinrich Richartz. Since 2001 the WRM has been

placed in its own new building, located between the Rathaus (town hall) and Gürzenich (the town's ancient ballroom). Shortly after the new construction, the WRM was enriched with an "eternal lending" of impressionist works of Swiss collector’s Gerard Corboud private col- lection. In honour of the collector the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum is now also known as the "Foundation Corboud".

Adress: 39 Martinstr., tel. 221-2 11 19. Open: Tue 10am to 8pm, Wed to Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat and Sun 11pm to 6pm, closed on mondays. Internet: www.museenkoeln.de

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More good Museums

Cologne City Museum

The Cologne City Muse- um depicts how one lived from the Middle-Ages to the modern age in Colo- gne. For viewing are suits of armour, coats of arms, weapons, flags, furniture, as well as pho- tos and paintings. Also chronicled is Cologne’s occupation under Napo- leon, when the city was French for 20 years. The French introduced house numbers for the first time. On Glockengasse a house was numbered 4711, which was the birth hour of the perfume with the same name. Adress: 1-3 Zeughausstr., phone 221- 25790. more

Museum for East Asian Art

The museum houses Germany’s largest collec- tion of Far East art in a beautiful structure that is directly on the Aachener Cistern and inside of the Grüngurtel (Green Belt), a small oasis in town. Here, one can find the necessary peace to relish the treasures of art from China and Japan. Additi- onally, there are a num- ber of Chinese and Japa- nese paintings, bronze treasures, ceramics and painted porcelain. And there’s no lack of silk paintings and Buddha figures. The works often come from private collections. Adress: 100 Universitätsstr., phone 94 05 18-0. more

Museum für angewandte Kunst

Crafted works from the Middle ages to the pre- sent, designes of the 20th century, jewelry and furniture collections, with alternating exhibits. Adress: An der Recht- schule, tel. 22 1-267 14. more

Schnütgen Museum

Schnütigen Museum ex- tends from the Dom’s former capitular Alexan- der Schnütigen, who, in 1906, donated his private collection. For viewing are works from the Middle-Ages to the Baroque, among which use religious motifs. The museum is to be found inside the former Church of St. Cäcilien. Adress: 29 Cäcilienstr., tel. 221-23620. more

Archbishops Diocese Museum

Christianity and the church have shaped the lives of those from Cologne for hundreds of centuries. That the city is rich with sacramental art is displayed by the Diocese Museum of the archbishopric of Cologne. The Dom (cathedral) and its construction history are the main themes. Underneath the Dom treasured graves form the time of the Franks were found. Exhibited also are alter paintings, crosses, sculptures and monstrance. From Stefan Lochner, the greatest painter of Cologne of the 15th century, the “Madonna with the Violets” is hung. In the museum there is a great deal to learn about the church life in Cologne from deep in history. Adress: 2 Roncalliplatz, tel. 2 57 76 72. more

Rautenstrauch- Joest-Museum

With this museum for ethnology, Cologne takes its place again as king of the mountain in Germany, because it is the most important of its kind. Displayed works are all art from the South Sea and Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The mu- seum’s founder, Wilhelm Joest, brought back with him from his field rese- arch in Indian tribes form North and South America, to the bush crop peoples of  Peru and Mexico, black African masks, figurines, weapons and tools. No other museum in Cologne is like the RJM, even situated in his old house from 1906 adds to the attraction. Adress: 45 Ubierring, tel. 3 36 94 0. more

EL-DE House

From 1935 to 1945, the EL-DE House was the headquarters of the "Geheime Staatspoli- zei" (Gestapo) within Cologne's administrative district. Today it houses the Cologne Documen- tary Centre of the city's NS-history. Entering the basement level visitors can see the small prison run by the Gestapo that has become a memorial site today. Ten prison cells are still kept in the former shape where poli- tical prisoners were locked up, interrogated,  tortured and murdered. In the upper levels a permanent exhibition gives general informa- tion about the Nazi era in Cologne. Adress: 23-25 Appellhofplatz. tel. 2212-6331. more