Kolumba Art Museum

CITY GUIDE COLOGNE: KOLUMBA ART MUSEUM OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF COLOGNE

Rarely has a museum be so highly praised – and rightly so. Architecture fans revere Peter Zumthor, who in 2007 designed the Kolumba Art Museum to rise up among the ruins of a Gothic church - and referenced a lost piece of history. The art cognoscenti are taken by the unusual compilation of works from different epochs. The shows change every year, because the Archdiocese has a magnificent collection. Paintings, sculptures and arts and crafts from early Christian times through to the present can now be showed in a venue that seems timeless. Zumthor created an almost private ambience – with wall paneling and furniture from refined materials, such as wood, silk and leather.