| Kölnisches
Stadtmuseum
Museum of the City of Cologne
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Museum
of the City of Cologne |
The Kölnisches Stadtmuseum has an exhibition
space of 2,000 sq. metres and provides an insight into the history,
culture, economy and everyday life of Cologne and its inhabitants.
Works of art and everyday objects illustrate the exciting history
of this important Rhenish city form the Middle Ages to the present
day. A tour of the museum familiarizes visitors with phenomena
which are typical of the city: “Klüngel” (nepotism),
Kölsch (the local beer), carneval, the Hänneschen Theater
(puppet theatre), Eau de Cologne and the internal combustion engine
which was invented in Cologne.
The next stage of the tour is an evocative lesson
in the political history of the city from the Middle Ages to the
post-war period. Mediaeval Cologne was the biggest city north
of the Alps and after the battle of Worringen in 1288 it managed
to free itself from the rule of the archbishop of Cologne. In
1396 the guilds of craftsmen and merchants governed Cologne and
gave the city a democratic constitution based on the guilds which
was in force for 400 years. In 1794 forces of the French Revolutionary
Army occupied the city; from 1815 Cologne was governed by the
Prussians. In 1848 Cologne, where Karl Marx was editor of the
“Neue Rheinische Zeitung”, became an important centre
of the German Revolution. In 1871, with the foundation of the
German Empire, there was a reconciliation of Rhinelanders and
Prussians and the former became ardent German patriots. A symbol
of this new patriotism is the city council’s new table silver
whose most splendid piece is the centrepiece “Vater Rhein”.
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Map
of Mercator, 1571 (Reprint); photo: Rheinisches Bildarchiv
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Further focal points of the permanent collection
are topics such as popular devotional objects and religion (including
an important Judaica collection), the university which was founded
by Cologne citizens in 1388, cultural life and sciences, the life
of Cologne burghers, domestic life, the economy and transport,
concentrating on the periods around 1600 and 1900.
The Susannenschrank (St Susanna’s cupboard)
by Melchior von Rheidt are evidence of the high standard of craftsmanship.
The paintings by the Berckheyde brothers and the portraits by
Barthel Bruyn the Younger and Geldorp Gortzius present a vivid
illustration of life in Cologne. The collection of physical apparatus
and early globes is outstanding. The kitchen of a working-class
family, documentation on the life of the working classes, and
manufacturing, arts and crafts in Cologne lead visitors into the
modern age. Three short film sequences from the years 1896, among
them the first film shot in Germany, present visitors with life
in days gone by.
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Ford Taunus 17 M, 1960-1964
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The Kölnisches Stadtmuseum was founded in 1888
as Historisches Museum der Stadt Köln. Since 1958 its permanent
exhibition has been housed in the city’s armoury –
the Zeughaus – built around 1600 in the Dutch Renaissance
style. In the adjacent Alte Wache, a neo-classical Prussian building,
special exhibitions on Cologne art and history are shown.
Visitors are provided with free audio-guides in
German, English and French.
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; photo: Rheinisches Bildarchiv',''))
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