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Cologne at night

Museum of the City of Cologne

Museum of the City of Cologne (Kölnisches Stadtmuseum)

Built around 1600 as “Zeughaus”, the city’s former historic armoury, the “Kölnisches Stadtmuseum“ gives an insight into Cologne's political, economic and cultural history from the Middle Ages to the present The armoury was built by the Imperial Town of Cologne as weapons arsenal around 1600 in Dutch Renaissance style. Today, there is the Cologne City Museum, which provides an insight into the spiritual, economic and every day life of the city of Cologne and its citizens from the Middle Ages up until today.

National Socialism Documentation Centre (EL-DE-Haus, NS-Dokumentationszentrum der Stadt Köln)

The EL-DE House was named after its builder, the Cologne wholesaler of gold and watches Leopold Dahmen. From 1935 it served as residence for the Secret Police for the District of Cologne and was primarily spared of bombing damage during the War. Today it is the home of the Cologne NS Documentation Centre with various areas:
The memorial "Gestapo Prison" in the cellar of the house is one of the best kept prisons of the NS times. More than 1,800 wall inscriptions tell of persecution, torture and murder. The NS Documentation Centre has been awarded several prizes, also internationally, for the permanent exhibition “Cologne in the times of National Socialism” and for the changing special exhibitions.
In the documentation and research area the files, which were largely destroyed during and at the end of the War, are reconstructed meticulously.

The "NS-Dokumentationszentrum (EL-DE-Haus)" does not only serve as museum and memorial. It is also designed to explore the history of National Socialism.

Cologne PORTAL