Dear visitors,
our museum is getting more ecological! Due to necessary energy-related construction work, the exhibition rooms will be temporarily closed.
However, we are still here for you!

OPEN DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

During the renovation phase, we look forward to welcoming you to our pop-up space RAUM FÜR NEUES:
In the Neumarkt Passage, opposite the Tentazioni ice cream cafe, we will gradually present what we are working on for you behind the scenes during the closure.

But that's not all: there will be readings, talks and lectures - and our museum workshop! Here you can get active yourself. We invite children, young people and adults to take part in workshops on a wide range of topics and techniques.
Our pop-up museum shop is also open - with literature by and about Käthe Kollwitz, exhibition catalogues, postcards, art prints and posters.
Please have a look!

Opening hours

Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
First Thursday of the month 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Closed on Mondays, Sundays and public holidays.
Admission free!

How did Käthe Kollwitz work, what materials did she use? In our open museum workshop, we will explain the artist's various techniques and invite you to get creative!

Here you can expect short instructions and inspiration for your own artistic work. Developed by our art educators, we want to introduce you to Käthe Kollwitz's various forms of artistic expression and encourage you to try them out. In addition to the changing focus on techniques, there are numerous workshops - lasting one or more days - for children, young people and adults, which allow for a more in-depth exploration. 

Have a go!
After charcoal drawing, it is time for printmaking. Young and old can try their hand at the intaglio press and follow Käthe Kollwitz's creative process. Don't be shy! You don't need any previous experience, strong arms or extravagant artistic vision - it's all about having fun! Our instruction cards will show you how it's done. And if you're really stuck, we'll be happy to help.

Treat yourself to a creative break and discover the art of Käthe Kollwitz from a new perspective!

What events, circumstances and experiences are the driving force behind Käthe Kollwitz's work? What historical background, what personal motivations? And how does she decide which technique to use? Answers to these questions can be found in RAUM FÜR NEUES: a visit to the artist's virtual studio.

Together with developer Christine Bolz from the Cologne-based Redaktionsbüro Dank and Karsten Huth, 3D Kontor, we have created an immersive multimedia application that allows you to travel through time into the artist's working world. The virtual studio is an interactive video and audio installation. A beamer projection opens up Käthe Kollwitz's fictional workspace to the viewer, and a monitor on the side adds additional information to the experience. The narrative of the immersive feature follows the biography of the artist and her personal impressions as noted in her diary notes and letters.

The first set of themes is presented: Kollwitz's experiences during the First World War, which found artistic expression in the series of prints War, completed in 1923.

The artist's memories of her younger son Peter's enlistment as a war volunteer and his early death as a soldier lead into the theme room. Once there, it is up to the viewer to explore the studio for themselves. Using the touch screen, they can select pieces of equipment that tell different stories and digressions - for example, about the development of individual works from the War Series, about the technique of woodcutting, or about the artist's hopes for the effect of her work: »These prints should be sent all over the world and give everybody the essence of what it was like – this is what we all went through during these unspeakably hard times.«

The virtual studio is currently only available in German.
In the future, the application will also be made accessible in English as an experiential space within the collection presentation, bringing you closer to the artist's world of work and thought and helping you to understand the historical context. We invite you to try out the feature in the RAUM FÜR NEUES - and look forward to your feedback!