Showing 1-17 of 17 results
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Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum
In a 19th-century customs building near the Schokoladen Museum, the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum is an imaginative, if Germany-focused, tribute to the sporting life from antiquity to today. There are exhibits on the 1936 Berlin and 1972 Munich Olympic Games and on such modern-day heroes as Steffi Graf and Michael Schumacher. Interactive displays allow you to experience a bobsled run or a bike race, and on the miniature football field on the rooftop you can kick with a view of the river and Dom.
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Domschatzkammer
Cologne is proud of its Domschatzkammer (Cathedral Treasury), whose reliquaries, robes, sculptures and liturgical objects are handsomely presented in 13th-century vaulted rooms on the north side of the Dom. One item to keep an eye out for is a Gothic bishop's staff from 1322.
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EL-DE Haus
Cologne's Third Reich history is poignantly documented in the EL-DE Haus, which takes its curious name from its builder Leopold Dahmen. In 1935 it became the local Gestapo prison where scores of people were interrogated, tortured and killed. Inscriptions on the basement cell walls offer a gut-wrenching record of the emotional and physical pain endured by inmates.
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Gross St Martin
Cologne's medieval heyday is reflected in its wealth of Romanesque churches, which were constructed between 1150 and 1250 and survived largely intact until WWII. About a dozen have been rebuilt since and offer many unique architectural and artistic features. Winning top honours for most handsome exterior is Gross St Martin, whose ensemble of four slender turrets grouped around a central spire towers above Fischmarkt in the Altstadt.
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Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum
Inside a bank branch is the Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum, with graphics and a few sculptures by the acclaimed socialist artist. A highlight is the haunting cycle called Ein Weberaufstand (A Weavers' Revolt, 1897). Enter through the arcade, then take the glass-bubble lift to the 4th floor.
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Kölner Dom
Cologne's geographical and spiritual heart and its main tourist attraction is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is the Mt Everest of cathedrals. It's packed with an amazing array of art treasures, and its elegant proportions and dignified ambience leave only the most jaded of visitors untouched.
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Kölner Dom South Tower
For an exercise fix, climb the 509 steps up the Dom's south tower to the base of the steeple that dwarfed all buildings in Europe until Gustave Eiffel built a certain tower in Paris. A good excuse to take a breather on your way up is the 24-tonne Peter Bell (1923), the largest working bell in the world. As you might imagine, views from the 95m platform are fabulous…
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Kölnisches Stadtmuseum
The Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, in the former medieval armoury, explores all facets of Cologne history. There are exhibits on Carnival, Kölsch (the local beer), eau de Cologne and other things that make the city unique.
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Museum für Angewandte Kunst
The Museum für Angewandte Kunst consists of a series of period rooms tracing European design from the Middle Ages to today. Keep an eye out for a 15th-century Venetian wedding goblet, a silver service by Henry van de Velde and life-sized animals made of Meissen porcelain.
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Museum Ludwig
The distinctive building façade and unorthodox roofline signal that the Museum Ludwig is no ordinary museum. Considered a European mecca of postmodern art, it also offers a thorough overview of all genres - traditional to warped - generated in the 20th century. There's plenty of American pop art, including Roy Lichtenstein's Maybe and Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes alongside a large Picasso collection covering all of his major creative phases.
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Museum Schnütgen
The beautifully restored church of St Cäcilia provides a magical setting for the medieval church treasures of the Museum Schnütgen, including wooden and stone sculptures, manuscripts, textiles and ivory carvings.
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Römisch-Germanisches Museum
Anyone even remotely interested in Roman history should not skip the extraordinary Römisch-Germanisches Museum, adjacent to the Dom. Sculptures and ruins displayed outside and in the lobby are merely the (free) overture to a full symphony of Roman artefacts found along the Rhine. Highlights include the giant Poblicius tomb (AD 30-40), the magnificent 3rd-century Dionysus mosaic around which the museum was built, and astonishingly well-preserved glass items.
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Schokoladen Museum
Anyone with a sweet tooth will likely enjoy the Schokoladen Museum, a hi-tech temple to the art of chocolate-making. Exhibits on the origin of the 'elixir of the gods', as the Aztecs called it, and the cocoa-growing process are followed by a live-production factory tour and a stop at a chocolate fountain for a sample. Upstairs are departments on the cultural history of chocolate, advertising, and porcelain and other accessories. Stock up on your favourite flavours at the downstairs shop.
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St Gereon
The most eccentric-looking church is St Gereon, which grew from a late-Roman chapel into a massive complex with a soaring decagonal dome with delicate ribbed vaulting.
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St Maria im Kapitol
St Maria im Kapitol boasts stand-out treasures like a carved door from the original 11th-century church and a spectacularly ornate Renaissance rood screen.
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St Ursula
If you look at Cologne's coat of arms, you'll see what looks like 11 apostrophes but in fact represents the Christian martyrs St Ursula and 10 virgins. The church of St Ursula stands atop the Roman cemetery where the virgins' remains were allegedly found. In the 17th century, the richly ornamented baroque Goldene Kammer (Golden Chamber) was built to house their relics.
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Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
A famous collection of art from the 13th to the 19th centuries, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum occupies a postmodern cube designed by Cologne's own OM Ungers. Works are presented chronologically, with the oldest on the 1st floor where standouts include brilliant examples from the Cologne School, known for its distinctive use of colour. Upstairs are Dutch and Flemish artists like Rembrandt and Rubens, Italians such as Canaletto and Spaniards including Murillo.
Showing 1-17 of 17 results
