(c) by Kölner Karnevalsmuseum. All rights reserved.
Description [EN]
The Kölner Karnevalsmuseum is located in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne. The institution documents the Rhenish carnival tradition, but has been closed until further notice since August 2022 for renovation and fire-safety measures; prior to that the museum had already been closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cologne Carnival is one of the region's historically and culturally significant festivals. The Festkomitee Kölner Karneval brings together more than 100 carnival societies; in addition there are about 60 further clubs, music groups and Veedelsgemeinschaften. The Rosenmontagszug reaches an extraordinary scale, with at least 10,000 participants and around 1.3 million spectators annually. During the season some 500 sessions and balls take place in the city's halls.
The museum pursues a scholarly presentation of this tradition and employs contemporary forms of display. At its opening, numerous exhibits previously kept in decentralized storage by carnival societies were brought together and supplemented with rare objects. The compilation was assembled with support from sponsors and private contributions.
The museum opened on 19 June 2005; the exhibition space covers more than 1,400 m². Within this area the history of the carnival from its beginnings to the present is presented. Prior to the museum's establishment there had already been a small collection in the Festkomitee's former city-centre premises, from which holdings were transferred to the new museum.
The presentation is divided into a historical section and an experience area in the museum hall. The historical exhibition presents periods such as Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Weimar Republic and National Socialism through numerous films, photographs as well as written records and documents. Among the significant items is the "Protokollbuch des Festordnenden Comitees" from 1827. Historical objects are complemented by modern audio and video units. Interactive offerings take place in the experience area; guided tours have been offered since the opening.