Amerika Haus
From 1955 to 2007 Cologne's hub for US cultural exchange — the last of the once 57 Amerika Houses still operating in Germany.
After German reunification, most Amerika Houses across the country had already closed; Cologne's kept its doors open for another decade and a half before finally shutting down.
Source: Wikipedia
At a glance
- Type
- former center for cultural exchange with the United States
- Location
- Apostelnkloster 13–15, opposite St. Aposteln church, Altstadt-Nord
- Opened
- June 1955
- Architect
- Rolf H. Schickmann
- Client and owner
- City of Cologne
- Duration
- 52 years, until September 2007
- Successor
- founded in 2007 as Amerika Haus e.V. Nordrhein-Westfalen, renamed AmerikaHaus NRW e.V. in 2021
When the Cologne Amerika Haus closed in September 2007, it was the last of originally 57 Amerika Houses worldwide still operating in Germany.
History
The building rose on the site of the former Apostelgymnasium. It housed a reference and information library, a lecture hall and cinema, and an advisory office for exchange programs with the United States. From the 1950s through the 1970s it ranked among the city's major cultural institutions. It was run first by the US Information Service (USIS) and later by the US Consulate General, with the US Information Agency—absorbed into the State Department in 1999—listed as operator until the 2007 closure.
Closure and transition
When the doors closed in September 2007, 52 years of operation came to an end. As with most other Amerika Houses in Germany, the work continued in a different form. The Fritz Thyssen Foundation took over the building, letting the newly founded successor association use rooms there for another year. Since 2008 the association's office has been located nearby on Apostelnstraße.
Today
Founded in 2007 as Amerika Haus e.V. Nordrhein-Westfalen, the organization adopted its current name, AmerikaHaus NRW e.V., after a 2021 statutory change. It sees itself as a nonprofit, independent platform for German-American relations in North Rhine-Westphalia, focusing on events at the intersection of politics, culture, business, and education. Funding comes from private and public sources, with corporate members including German and American companies such as Ford and Alsco, alongside public support from the Federal Foreign Office, the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Dortmund. Organizations active in NRW can join as associate members.
Organization
The association is run by a volunteer board, chaired since 2019 by Ingo Wolf, former Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia. Day-to-day operations are handled by a full-time team, led since December 2022 by Viktoria Harbecke.
Timeline
- 1955Building constructed and opened in June, architect Rolf H. Schickmann.
- 1999US Information Agency incorporated into the US State Department.
- 2007Amerika Haus closed in September; successor association Amerika Haus e.V. founded.
- 2008Office moves to nearby Apostelnstraße.
- 2019Ingo Wolf becomes chairman of the honorary board.
- 2021Statute amendment: association renamed to AmerikaHaus NRW e.V.
- 2022Viktoria Harbecke takes over management in December.
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-16
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