There are chocolate museums in most major European cities. But the Schokoladenmuseum in Cologne is a very special place. This museum is well known not only in Germany, but also in other countries of the Old and New Worlds. It is one of the ten most popular German museums and annually receives about 650 thousand visitors from around the world. Sweets lovers visiting Germany try by all means to visit the world of the Cologne chocolate fairy tale - and do not regret it at all. If you want to learn about the world's most famous delicacy that you never knew existed, the best place to do this is the Chocolate Museum in Cologne.
Cologne's chocolate tradition
Cologne is renowned for its confectionery tradition. The local company Imhoff-Stollwerk has been supplying townspeople with original sweet treats since 1839. A quarter of a century ago, in 1993, the current owner of the company, Hans Imhoff, founded the Chocolate Museum in the city. Usually such museums are located at confectionery factories, but the Cologne Schokoladenmuseum is located on a separate territory in a complex of buildings of an original design, which from afar resemble a giant ship standing in the Rhine harbor.
The unusual format of work allowed the "chocolate world" of Cologne to quickly gain fame not only in Germany, but also among tourists all over the world.
In 2006, the Swiss confectionery company Lindt & Sprungli partnered with the museum and brought even more original innovations to its work.
In 2021, the museum celebrates its 26th anniversary. For a quarter of a century, its halls have received more than 14 million guests. The Schokoladenmuseum is one of the few museums in the country that does not need external funding and fully pays for its maintenance.
Fabulous chocolate country
Museum guests find themselves in an unusual world, where the full cycle of making chocolate delicacies is presented - from growing cocoa beans to making and packaging finished confectionery products.
Tropical house with cocoa plantation
The tour of the museum begins at the Tropical House, a huge greenhouse that maintains a hot and humid equatorial climate. Not only cocoa trees are planted here, but also other plants that are found in the Amazonian jungle and equatorial Africa. The greenhouse is kept at a temperature of about 30 ° C; to maintain the required humidity level, an artificial rain system is switched on every hour.
Guests can walk along the mini-park paths and see the ripening fruits of cocoa, bananas and coconuts. At the plantation, you will learn all about the "chocolate" trees: how they are planted, what care they require, how the harvest takes place, and how the beans are extracted from the fruits - the raw material for the production of cocoa powder. So that the microclimate of the tropical greenhouse is not disturbed, the entrance to it is made in the form of a gateway.
Factory for the production of chocolate
On the territory of the museum there is a mini-factory where chocolate is made from cocoa beans. The workshops of the plant are separated from the visitors by large panoramic windows, through which one can observe the work of the mechanisms.
Here you will see how cocoa beans are roasted, ground and ground into powder, how aromatic chocolate mass is brewed and poured into forms. Lindt's proprietary recipe is used in the production of chocolate.
Molding machines transform plastic hot chocolate into various sizes and shapes of bars, bars or hollow chocolate figurines. The process of making chocolate and chocolate products is fully automated; all operations are performed by robots under computer control. The factory employs only two people who pack the finished products.
If you want to taste ready-made chocolate, just press a button and the robot will present you with a piece of sweet treat. The factory produces about 400 kg of chocolate every day.
Confectionary shop
Original handmade chocolate sweets are created in the confectionery studio. Figures of hares, cats, monkeys, camels and fairy-tale characters cast from milk chocolate, hearts and soccer balls are painted with colored glaze using special stencils and brushes.
This is a delicate job that requires a lot of patience and skill. You can watch the work of pastry chefs from behind a glass partition. Each guest of the museum receives a delicious work of art made in a studio as a gift.
In addition, you can order your favorite chocolate delicacy in an individual design. To do this, you need to create a recipe by choosing your favorite type of chocolate and four additional ingredients from a list of more than 40 ingredients. The chocolate surface can be decorated with engraving or high relief with your name, greeting or congratulation. In 45 minutes the order will be ready.
Exposition of the Museum of Chocolate
The collection of the museum is located on an area of about 4 thousand square meters and covers a period of several millennia. Among the exhibits you will see sculptures, jewelry and household items of the native inhabitants of South America of the pre-Columbian era - the Aztecs and Mayans. There are knives used by the Indians for cutting cocoa fruits from trees, and tools with which they used to prepare cult drinks from the beans for religious ceremonies.
The exhibition presents unique samples of the first European mechanisms for the production and rolling of chocolate mass, invented by German confectioners Heinrich Stollwerk and Rudolf Lind.
In the museum, you can get acquainted with the varieties of chocolate and sweets that have been made in Europe for several centuries, explore a huge collection of various packaging for sweets - from cans to colored foil.
In separate rooms, old machines for the sale of chocolates and figurines-symbols of famous confectionery brands are collected: the famous golden Easter bunnies of the Lindt company, a pretty cow of the Milka company and many others.
Chocolate fountain
One of the main attractions of the museum is a three-meter fountain in which water is replaced by liquid chocolate. In its center is an image of a cocoa tree with ripe fruits. This unique facility circulates 200 liters of fresh chocolate mass. The clerk of the museum gives out waffles to all comers, which serve as "spoons" for tasting delicacies from the fountain. The number of samples for one person is not limited.
Sweet shops
The museum has shops where you can buy chocolate bars, sweets with various fillings, chocolate figurines, syrups and liqueurs. Most of the products come to the store from the factory and the confectionery shop of the museum. Here you can find sweet gifts for all tastes and unique souvenirs, for example, a chocolate copy of the Cologne Cathedral.
You can also check out the Hussel brand store, which has been making premium chocolates, cakes and sweets since 1949. At Hussel, you can buy treats made according to traditional or modern recipes, get expert advice on all types of chocolate and taste the sweets before you buy.
CHOCOLAT Grand Café
This spacious, elegant café with high ceilings, panoramic windows and an extensive sweets menu is the best place to relax after a tour of the museum. Weather permitting, you can sit out on the outdoor terrace, which sits directly above the waters of the Rhine.
The cafeteria menu includes salads, sweet and savory pancakes with various fillings, fresh pastries and a huge variety of desserts - cakes, pastries, chocolate fondue and sweets made according to original recipes. Neither adults nor children will remain indifferent to such a variety of delicacies.
Learning the art of chocolatier
The museum hosts master classes where adults and children learn how to cook chocolate and treats based on it at home. Classes are held in groups of up to 12 people, collective applications are accepted. The cost of the master classes includes the payment of a ticket to the museum.
Master classes for adults
At Schokoladenkurse, confectionery lovers will learn how to make chocolate from powdered cocoa at home, to cast original figures and delicious bars from the chocolate mass. The duration of the lesson is 2 hours, the cost is 45 euros (3 415 rubles).
Pralinenkurse - candy making workshop. You will learn how to create original heart-shaped and ball-shaped chocolate treats filled with butter cream, fruits, berries, and nuts. The lesson takes 3 hours, the cost is 60 euros (4,554 rubles).
At Pralinenkurse deluxe, under the guidance of master pastry chef Eva Olze, you will master the technique of preparing unusual chocolate delicacies. Lesson time is 4 hours, the cost is 75 euros (5 692 rubles).
Children's master classes
Schokoladig, bunt und lecker - a master class for young confectioners from 8 years old. Children will learn how to make chocolate candies, bars and figurines from cocoa powder. The duration of the lessons is 1.5 hours, the cost is 33 euros (2504 rubles).
Junge schokoladenmeister welcomes teenagers over 14 years old. Students will become familiar with a variety of chocolate processing techniques and will be able to use their imagination to create different types and varieties of chocolate treats. The lesson lasts 2 hours, the cost is 39 euros (2,944 rubles).
Opening hours and ticket prices
The museum is open daily. Opening hours from Monday to Friday - 10.00-18.00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays - 11.00-19.00.
Closed on Mondays in November.
An hour before the closure of the museum, the admission of new visitors is terminated.
Children under 12 years old are only allowed in the Schokoladenmuseum if accompanied by an adult. Admission is free for babies under 6 years old.
Ticket prices:
- Adults - 11.5 euros (872 rubles).
- Children from 6 years old - 7.5 euros (569 rubles).
- Students - 9 euros (683 rubles).
- Seniors (over 65) - 10 euros (759 rubles).
- People with disabilities - 7.5 euros (569 rubles).
- Family ticket (for two adults and two children) - 30 euros (2,277 rubles).
- A voucher for a guided tour - from 3.5 to 6.5 euros (from 266 to 493 rubles).
There are discounts for organized groups (more than 10 people). The final price depends on the age composition of the groups.
How to get to the museum
The museum is located on the banks of the River Rhine, on the embankment of the Rheinauhafen peninsula at Am Schokoladenmuseum, 1a.
You can get to it as follows:
- Take city trains of lines 1, 7, 8, 9 or bus number 132 to the Heimarkt stop. From there go to the Rhine river, bypass the port on the left and move up the river for about 200 meters. To shorten the walking time, at the Heimarkt stop you can take bus number 106 to the Chocolate Museum stop.
- From the Old Town it is convenient to walk to the museum on foot. The Schokoladenmuseum is 500 meters from the Dezzer Bridge.
- From the Cologne Cathedral to the Chocolate Museum, a walking chocolate express runs every 30 minutes. The route runs through Altstadt (historical part of Cologne), a trip on the express allows you to admire the historical sights of the city.
- From Cologne Central Station, you can take bus 133 to the Chocolate Museum stop.
- If you get to the museum by private car, you can leave your car in the large underground car park "Reinauhafen".
The official website will help you learn more about the routes to the museum.
Conclusion
Chocolate is the most popular treat in the world, loved by both adults and children. A visit to the Cologne Chocolate Museum will give you vivid impressions and allow you to try new, unusual types of sweets.
