Chocolate Museum Cologne
Built on a peninsula in the Rheinauhafen harbour, this museum tells the story of chocolate — complete with a glass-fronted factory and a three-metre chocolate fountain.
since 1993
The Chocolate Museum Cologne (Schokoladenmuseum Köln) is a specialist cultural museum in the Altstadt-Süd neighbourhood, set on a peninsula in the Rheinauhafen harbour district. It traces the full history of cocoa and chocolate, from ancient civilisations to modern confectionery.
At a Glance
- Type
- Specialist cultural museum dedicated to cocoa and chocolate
- Location
- Peninsula in the Rheinauhafen, Altstadt-Süd district
- Opened
- 31 October 1993
- Exhibition space
- approx. 4,000 m²
- Highlights
- glass-fronted chocolate factory, walk-through tropical greenhouse, three-metre chocolate fountain
- Best for
- Families and day trips
Before the museum opened in 1993, founder Hans Imhoff first had to convince skeptics with a test exhibition in 1989 at Cologne's Gürzenich hall: within just six weeks, it attracted five times as many visitors as he had set as the minimum condition for building the museum.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
What's Inside
The permanent exhibition spans the arc from the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs to today's industrial chocolate production. A miniature production line demonstrates how chocolate is made at scale, and at the famous fountain visitors can dip waffles into flowing liquid chocolate. In spring 2020, the glass chocolate factory was completely redesigned.
Tropical House and Collection
A walk-through glass cube measuring ten metres on each side houses living cacao trees of the species Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum. The museum's collection includes 18th- and 19th-century porcelain and silver serving vessels, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican drinking vessels, and historical machinery alongside chocolate moulds and vintage vending machines.
History and Origins
The museum was founded by Cologne chocolatier Hans Imhoff, who held a majority stake in Stollwerck AG. The idea was sparked when a large cache of artefacts turned up during a company move. A 1989 exhibition marking Stollwerck's 150th anniversary at the Gürzenich far exceeded visitor expectations and paved the way. Imhoff acquired Warehouse 10 — a Prussian customs building from 1898 — along with the Malakoff Tower and a swing bridge. The museum was the first building completed in the new Rheinauhafen quarter and was extended with a purpose-built annex featuring postmodern ship motifs.
Name and Ownership
When Barry Callebaut was replaced by Lindt & Sprüngli as corporate partner in 2006, the museum was renamed from Imhoff-Stollwerck-Schokoladenmuseum to Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum. Since 2017 it has carried its current name, Schokoladenmuseum Köln. It is operated by Schokoladenmuseum Köln GmbH.
Timeline
- 1972Hans Imhoff acquires majority stake in Stollwerck AG
- 1975Stollwerck relocates to Porz-Westhoven; exhibits draw attention
- 1989Anniversary exhibition at Gürzenich (8 July–20 Aug), first chocolate fountain
- 1991Imhoff begins planning the museum from October
- 1992Purchase contract (23 Jan): acquisition of Hall 10, customs office, Malakoff tower, swing bridge
- 1993Museum opens on 31 October (construction costs: 53 million DM)
- 2002Imhoff sells Stollwerck to Barry Callebaut AG
- 2006Barry Callebaut ends partnership; Lindt & Sprüngli becomes new partner
- 2007Death of founder Hans Imhoff; wife Gerburg takes over management
- 2016Daughter Annette Imhoff and husband take over management
- 2017Renamed to 'Schokoladenmuseum Köln'
- 2020Glass chocolate factory redesigned in spring
Map
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Address
Am Schokoladenmuseum 1a
50678 Köln
Hours
Mo: 10:00–18:00
Di: 10:00–18:00
Mi: 10:00–18:00
Do: 10:00–18:00
Fr: 10:00–18:00
Sa: 10:00–18:00
So: 10:00–18:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official Instagram (@schokoladenmuseumofficial)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-23, rev 268041048)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27
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