In our foyer, you’ll now find an additional exhibition and event space that you can visit free of charge: the OPEN SPACE.
In cooperation with Cologne-based partners – artists, associations, companies, institutions, and initiatives – we engage in discussions with you about current and future topics of urban society, offering new perspectives on our city!
Preview:
Artist meets Archive #4
Marta Bogdańska: Footprints on the Sands of Time
May 16 to June 15, 2025
As part of the biennial programme Artist Meets Archive by Internationale Photoszene, the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum is presenting the works of Polish artist Marta Bogdańska (*1978) from 16 May to 15 June. And this at two locations with two different exhibition sections: in the Open Space in the museum foyer and in the Photoszene festival centre “Photo Pavillon. Temporary House of Photography”, Hahnenstr. 8!
Bogdańska has worked intensively with the museum’s extensive photographic collection. The resulting multimedia project is dedicated to the presence and experiences of animals in urban space and sheds light on the question of which non-human stories are hidden in the photographic collection – an archive that is made by humans for humans and tends to marginalise the perspective of animals. Can we nevertheless reshape the memory and retell history from the animal perspective? Marta Bogdańska invites viewers to question their own knowledge and ideas. With the help of various artistic strategies, she opens up new ways of reading the photographic collection of the Cologne City Museum in order to promote an empathetic attitude towards our animal companions in the past and present.
© Marta Bogdańksa, The Bright Side, Collage, Detail, 2025
More about the AMA-Festival of the Internationalen Photoszene
Opening hours festival center
Photo Pavillon. Temporary House of Photography
Hahnenstr. 8
50667 Köln
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 11-20 h
Events
Save the Date!
Saturday, May 17, 7 to 8 p.m.: Spot On! English-speaking guided tour with Marta Bogdańska and the Head of the Museum’s Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Location: Photo Pavilion. Temporary House of Photography, Hahnenstraße 8 (Admission: €7, reduced €5)
Sunday, May 18, 2:30 to 4 p.m.: Spot On! English-speaking guided tour with Marta Bogdańska and the Head of the Museum’s Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Meeting point: OPEN SPACE, Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, followed by approx. 30-minute walk together to the Photo Pavilion. Temporary House of Photography, Hahnenstraße 8
Wednesday, May 21, 12 to 12:30 p.m.: 30-minute lunchtime tour with the curator and Head of the Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Meeting point: OPEN SPACE, Kölnisches Stadtmuseum
Wednesday, May 28, 5 p.m.: Archive tour with the curator and Head of the Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Discover the historical original photos and many other treasures of the extensive photographic collection of the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum and learn exciting background information about the AMA project by Marta Bogdańska!
Attention: limited number of participants, only by registration at anmeldung@photoszene.de
Meeting point: Ticket counter, museum foyer
Thursday, June 5, 7 p.m.: Exhibition tour with the curator and Head of the Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Location: Photo Pavilion. Temporary House of Photography, Hahnenstraße 8 (Admission: €7, reduced €5)
Thursday, June 12, 6 p.m.: Exhibition tour with the curator and Head of the Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Location: Photo Pavilion. Temporary House of Photography, Hahnenstraße 8 (Admission: €7, reduced €5)
Sunday, June 15, 2:30 p.m.: Exhibition tour at two locations with the curator and Head of the Graphic Collection, Dr. Volker Hille
Meeting point: Photo Pavilion. Temporary House of Photography, Hahnenstraße 8, followed by approx. 30-minute walk to the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum (Admission: €7, reduced €5)
What else was on in our OPEN SPACE? A look back:
The Holy Night in the middle of Cologne? The Kölnische Stadtmuseum at the 29th Cologne Nativity Scene Trail!
November 30, 2024 to January 12, 2025
The Kölnische Stadtmuseum is once again a special stop on this year’s 29th Cologne Nativity Scene Trail – featuring a nativity scene that tells the story of the Holy Night in Kölsch dialect.
Our lovingly designed nativity panorama places the Christmas story right in the middle of Alter Markt. The Christ Child is born in a flower stall, surrounded by charming townhouses – and iconic Cologne characters. Alongside fictional figures like Hänneschen and Bärbelchen, historically documented Cologne originals such as the eccentric Maler Bock or the notorious Läsche Nas gaze in wonder at the newborn.
Look forward to a nativity panorama full of surprises and Cologne-style stories!
In harmony with the nativity scene set up in the OPEN SPACE, we’ve also created a festive display in our shop windows. Those who peek through the mysterious “peepholes” will be rewarded with atmospheric historical photographs of a snow-covered Alter Markt.
Glöcksillig Chressfess!
Our nativity scene in detail:
Photos: C. Ehrchen
COLLECTING PASSION. Wallraf for Cologne
September 27 to November 24, 2024
With his collection—over 40,000 artworks and historical objects—Wallraf laid the foundation for Cologne’s museums.
But we’re not just focusing on this obsessive collector: Stop by and discover what prominent Cologne personalities—such as musician Wolfgang Niedecken or former Cathedral Master Builder Prof. Dr. Barbara Schock-Werner—collect today: from curiosities to everyday items, from lightning strikes to “Weckmänner” (traditional German pastry figures)!
The best part: You can take part yourself!
What do you collect? Become part of the OPEN SPACE with your treasures!
Post photos of your favorite items on Instagram using #kölnsammelt
Or send them to us at: Social-Media-Team@stadt-koeln.de
Everything is welcome: sneakers, handbags, shells, marbles, comics, watches, autograph cards, bicycle tires…
And then come by and see your collection digitally displayed at the museum starting September 27!
THE BALL IS COLORFUL!
Perspectives on Migrant Football in Cologne
June 13 to August 4, 2024
On the occasion of the UEFA EURO 2024, which includes five matches in Cologne, we’re dedicating our foyer to the topic of football and Cologne’s migrant football clubs – and inviting you to join us for a game of table football.
Football is more than just a sport – it brings people together: men and women, young and old, people of different religions, skin colors, and ethnic backgrounds. Since the 1950s, football has played an important role in the history of migration in Cologne.
Come by and learn more about the unifying – but also excluding – power of football, discover stories, clubs, and biographies. Play a round of foosball and place your bet on who will win the European Championship!
The objects on display include stories such as that of Coşkun Taş, a Turkish national player who played for 1. FC Köln from 1959 to 1961, becoming the first Turkish professional footballer in German football history. Or Lukas Podolski, who is deeply connected to Cologne while proudly embracing his Polish roots.
Historical footage from WDR recalls a “guest worker tournament” from the 1960s, with its final held at the Müngersdorf Stadium. Additional objects were contributed by Cologne football clubs such as Hellas FC Köln e.V.
This focus exhibition was created in cooperation with various Cologne football clubs and is supported by the Cultural Foundation of the Kreissparkasse Köln.
