Museum of Applied Arts Cologne (MAKK)

The Museum of Applied Arts Cologne (MAKK) was founded in 1888 and is the second oldest museum in the city of Cologne. It stands for art and design. With its extensive collection of European arts and crafts, fine arts, and international designs, it is unique in North Rhine-Westphalia. Like the concept of the collection presentation “Art + Design in Dialogue,” which allows visitors to view simultaneous phenomena in art and design history: Piet Mondrian and Gerrit T. Rietveld, Oskar Schlemmer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Christo and Ron Arad, and many other juxtapositions offer insights into the respective decades.

Another unique feature is the new collection presentation “Fascination Jewelry. 7000 Years of Jewelry Art at the MAKK,” in which the approximately 370 exhibits impressively convey the spectrum of the important jewelry collection – from ancient Oriental gems from the 5th millennium BC to contemporary jewelry works.

The diversity of the collection's objects, styles, materials, and themes also determines the museum's exhibition and event program. Whether photography, art, furniture, jewelry, fashion, porcelain, or contemporary design—the MAKK sees itself as a living forum. The historical collections are currently closed for renovation.

The museum building designed by Rudolf Schwarz and Josef Bernard, located near Cologne Cathedral, is celebrated as an architectural icon. Completed in 1957, it was the first museum building after World War II to be constructed in the modernist architectural style. 

Interview with Ralph-Andreas Surma, Chairman of the Overstolzen Society.

From Ferdinand Franz Wallraf and Johann Heinrich Richartz to Josef Haubrich or Peter and Irene Ludwig, Cologne’s museums have always benefited from public support and commitment – even today.

Interview