Koloniemuseum

In the heart of Leverkusen-Wiesdorf, the Kolonie-Museum preserves traces of everyday life in the factory settlements of the Bayer plant known as the Bayer-Kolonien.

The settlements arose in connection with the company's relocation to Wiesdorf in 1912; the first apartments had been ready for occupancy as early as 1900 and were continuously expanded. In 1913 construction of Kolonie III began, and by 1914 Wiesdorf’s population had increased manyfold. By 1922 the three colonies together comprised 1,968 apartments; they also included cultural and recreational facilities as well as the first Bayer department store. Since 1997 the colonies have been protected as historic monuments. Bayer sold its rental apartments in 1999 to the housing company THS; since 2012 they have been part of Vivawest’s holdings.

The museum is housed in two historic colony houses and opened in 2005—simultaneously with the Wiesdorfer Neuland-Park der Landesgartenschau. The buildings were restored by volunteers and are maintained by volunteers. The operator is the Freundes- und Förderkreis des Kolonie-Museums Leverkusen e.V. Between 2005 and 2016 the museum recorded 22,756 visitors. As an out-of-school learning venue, it has offered a specially designed educational program for schools since 2015.

The exhibition aims to convey a vivid picture of the housing and everyday conditions in the vicinity of the plant. The house at Nobelstraße 78 is furnished in the style of the 1920s and 1930s; the furniture and household items are predominantly originals and largely come from donations by former settlement residents. The neighboring building at Nobelstraße 82 hosts rotating art exhibitions and presentations on the history of Leverkusen.