Germany Guide
North Rhine-Westphalia
Kolumba
Address: Kolumbastrasse 4
Opening time: daily except Tues noon–5pm
Price: €5
Website: www.kolumba.de
Standing atop the war-shattered remains of the church of St Kolumba and incorporating them into its design, Kolumba houses the art collection of the Diocese of Cologne. Though the theme of the collection is spiritual, this is no narrow display of conventional religious iconography, as the inclusion of kinetic sculptures by Rebecca Horn and of work by Joseph Beuys demonstrates. One of the museum's greatest treasures is Stefan Lochner's Madonna with the Violet; it's arguable, however, that the stunning building itself is at least as memorable as the collection, which it displays with lavish spaciousness, and there are superb views of the Dom from its upstairs windows. Right across the street, the sweeping curve of the Disch Haus – a Weimar-era office building – has been beautifully restored and provides an excellent architectural foil to the museum.