Our history

The MAKK is the second oldest museum in the city of Cologne. It was founded in 1888 under the name “Kunstgewerbe-Museum” by a civic initiative. The extensive collection is based on extraordinary patronage.

The historical core holdings comprise the collections of the scholars and collectors Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (1748-1824) and Matthias Joseph de Noël (1782-1849); they were expanded in rapid succession through high-quality and extensive donations, primarily from the Cologne bourgeoisie. Committed collectors and donors have shaped the museum's lively history and special character from its beginnings to the present day.

Facade of the small pointed gabled building. People look out of the windows.
Museum of Decorative Arts, An der Rechtschule 10

The museum building on Hansaring was destroyed during the Second World War, but the collections were almost completely saved. Rooms in the Eigelsteintorburg initially served as interim quarters and then the Romanesque Overstolzenhaus in Rheingasse for 25 years from 1961 to 1986. Since 1989, the museum has once again been housed in a central city location in the building designed by Rudolf Schwarz in 1957.

Wood engraving of the large museum building with people on the forecourt
Kunstgewerbemuseum 1889 at Hansaring, woodcut, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln

The museum building on Hansaring was destroyed during the Second World War, but the collections were almost completely saved. Rooms in the Eigelsteintorburg initially served as interim quarters and then the Romanesque Overstolzenhaus in Rheingasse for 25 years from 1961 to 1986. Since 1989, the museum has once again been housed in a central city location in the building designed by Rudolf Schwarz in 1957.

The museum building today. Facade with entrance photographed from the side.
Facade of the MAKK, © Constantin Meyer

With the move to the new domicile, the museum was renamed the “Museum of Applied Arts” as a visible sign of a new dawn in a new era. Since 1989, after an interruption of almost 50 years, the museum has once again presented a permanent exhibition with its rich and world-famous collection of arts and crafts.

This is complemented by the permanent exhibition “Art + Design in Dialogue. Design Department with the Winkler Collection”, a hitherto unique exhibition concept that links international design with works of fine art. In 2020, the design exhibition was reorganized with the same concept. Another permanent exhibition dedicated to the MAKK's jewelry collection will open at the end of 2024 - with top-class exhibits spanning 8,000 years from antiquity to the present day.