Wolkenburg
Baroque heritage building on Mauritiussteinweg – today home of Cologne's Men's Choral Society and an event venue.
The Wolkenburg is a historic building in Cologne's Altstadt-Süd district. The Baroque structure rose on the foundations of a medieval convent and today serves as the home of the Cologne Men's Choral Society as well as an event centre.
At a Glance
- Location
- Mauritiussteinweg, Altstadt-Süd, Cologne
- Built
- 1734 (Baroque buildings)
- Earlier building
- a medieval convent of the Benedictine nuns of Rolandswerth (today Nonnenwerth)
- Present use
- seat of the Cologne Men's Choral Society (KMGV) and event venue
- Heritage status
- listed on Cologne's monument register since 1 July 1980
- Namesake
- the historic Wolkenburg estate, first recorded in 1244
Origin of the Name
The name traces back to the Wolkenburg estate, first mentioned in 1244 in Cologne's register books of the St. Peter parish. The property stood at the corner of the former street "An der Wollküche" and the still-existing street Cäcilienkloster and was rebuilt in 1456. Around 1500 it belonged to the silk maker Fygen Lutzenkirchen. Its setting near St. Cäcilien and the name of this estate — remodelled by architect Heinrich Nagelschmidt in 1873 — inspired the theatrical troupe of the Cologne Men's Choral Society, founded in 1842, to call itself "Cäcilia Wolkenburg".
From Convent to Society House
The Baroque buildings were erected in 1734 on the site of a medieval convent of the Benedictine nuns of Rolandswerth. After secularisation in 1802, the house passed first into private, then municipal hands. From 1829 to 1900 the Alexian Brothers used it before moving to Lindenthal. Afterwards the building housed an arts and crafts school and the Rhenish Music School.
The Choral Society's Journey
According to research by the historian Hans Vogts, the old Wolkenburg estate at Cäcilienkloster had been the home of the Cologne Men's Choral Society since 1860; that building was demolished in 1911/12. The society moved into the surviving remnant of the former convent on Mauritiussteinweg. The original house "An der Wollküche" was lost as well: destroyed in the war, it later had to make way for Cologne's traffic planning.
Destruction and Rebuilding
On 31 May 1942 the house on Mauritiussteinweg was damaged. The Cologne Men's Choral Society took it over and restored it by 1960, with a final restoration following in 1987. The Wolkenburg has been on Cologne's monument register since 1 July 1980. Today the heritage building combines the society's headquarters with an event centre.
Map
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Address
Mauritiussteinweg 61
50676 Köln
Hours
Mo: 07:00–20:00
Di: 07:00–20:00
Mi: 07:00–20:00
Do: 07:00–20:00
Fr: 07:00–20:00
Sa: 07:00–20:00
So: 07:00–20:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-07-19)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-19)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-19
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