Germany Guide
North Rhine-Westphalia
Römisch-Germanisches Museum
Address: On the south side of the Dom
Opening time: Tues– Sun 10am–5pm
Price: €6, or €7.50 combined ticket with Praetorium
Riches from Cologne's Roman past are housed in the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, whose most famous exhibit is the third-century Dionysos mosaic discovered on the site as an air-raid shelter was being dug in 1941. It originally formed the floor of a dining room leading off the peristyle or courtyard of a grand villa, and is startling in its completeness, size and beauty. The imposing mausoleum of the Roman soldier Lucius Poblicius, which dates from 40 AD, rises from the museum's lower level to utterly dominate the staircase. Though there are plenty of impressive chunks of Roman stone in the museum, it's often the smaller, more everyday objects that are the most revealing, from the locally produced second-century glassware to the personal effects of Cologne's Roman citizens, which include mirrors, razors, hairpins and some delightful children's toys. Incidentally, the modest heap of stones in front of the Dom's west front is what survives of the Roman city's North Gate.