Chocolate Museum (Schokoladen Museum)

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The Chocolate Museum in Cologne is the most visited museum in the city. In addition, it ranks among the ten most popular museums in Germany.
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  1. #DE38
  2. Am Schokoladenmuseum 1a, 50676 Köln, Germany
  3. +492219318880
  4. service@schokoladenmuseum.de
  5. http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/
  6. Working hours*:
    Daily 10: 00-18: 00.
    November, January-March - closed on Mondays.
  7. Prices*:
    Adults - € 12.50, schoolchildren, children - € 7.50, students - € 9, pensioners from 65 years old - € 11. Children under 6 years old - free. € 1 more on weekends.
  8. * - opening and closing times as well as entrance prices, are subject to alterations without notice. Visitors are advised to check before visiting.
  9. 50.9318923, 6.9644215 Copy to clipboard Copy
    #Family time , #Museums , #Food

The main exhibit of the museum - a giant chocolate fountain, you can even try. And at the same time, I learn a lot of exciting things about the history of chocolate and cocoa and the secrets of the production of the most beloved delicacy of all mankind.
The Chocolate Museum in Cologne receives over 650 thousand visitors annually.
The founder of the museum is the Cologne chocolate manufacturer Hans Imhoff. The Stollwerck chocolate factory, owned by him since 1972, was one of the largest in the world during its heyday. Its founder, Franz Stolwerk, managed, starting in the middle of the 19th century, with a slight caramel workshop in Cologne to create a massive concern for the production of chocolate in Europe and America.
Then, after the First World War, and only after recovering from the Second World War, the company, already under the leadership of five sons of Franz Stolwerk, got into serious financial difficulties and was sold under the hammer for a symbolic amount. Imhoff, the factory's new owner, adored Stolwerk chocolate as a child and admired the machines that made magic chocolate.
When the company moved to a new location, rare materials related to the history of both the Stolwerk chocolate factory and the production of chocolate, in general, were discovered. Soon planned a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the factory Imhoff ordered to coincide with this event an exhibition dedicated to the company's history.
The anniversary exhibition received five times more visitors than expected. The historical chocolate fountain presented at the exhibition was of particular interest to the public. It is how Hans Imhoff came up with the idea to create a chocolate museum, where all the most valuable finds will find their rightful place.
For this purpose, the building of the old customs office bought a piece of land on the banks of the Rhine dam, and construction of the museum began. The cost of organizing the museum was 53 million German marks. And 13 months later, in November 1993, the Chocolate Museum was inaugurated.
The exposition of the museum, located on three floors, occupies 4 thousand square meters.
More than 12 million guests have visited the Chocolate Museum since its opening.
After the sale of Stolberk by Hans Imhoff, the new owners did not want to work with the museum and sold it to Lindt's Austrian chocolate concern. Lindt's executives were reluctant to tell the story of a competitive confectionery factory removed and all materials and machinery associated with the Stolwerk firm from the museum. And the museum, which was initially called the Imhoff-Stollwerck-Schokoladenmuseum, was renamed and is now called the Schokoladenmuseum. True, nevertheless left the historic Stolwerk chocolate fountain in the museum.
The exposition of the Museum of Chocolate begins with a story of 5000 years of history of chocolate, starting with the peoples of Latin America, the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs, for whom chocolate was the food of the Gods.
You will find out which varieties of cocoa beans are considered the best for the production of high-quality chocolate, where they grow, what is the importance of roasting the beans, why mashing improves the taste of the final product; you will learn which varieties of chocolate are officially recognized by the international association of chocolate producers, what they  made from and much other.
Presents the historical devices used by the peoples of South America to process cocoa beans. Museum stands to tell the history of chocolate in Europe, how it made, and discoveries that help improve the quality of chocolate.
It also features historic chocolate machines, labels of famous brands, handcrafted candy tools, chocolate vending machines, and 18th and 19th-century porcelain and silver bowls for drinking liquid chocolate.
The chocolate fountain with a height of 3 meters with a bathtub of 200 litres of liquid chocolate is the most favourite exhibit of all visitors. After all, you can try it as much as you want.
The museum's greenhouse is 10 meters high and has a volume of 100 sq. meters grow cocoa trees of varieties Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum. The greenhouse maintains the climatic regime of their growth; the temperature is plus 30 degrees and 100% humidity.
The museum has a fully automated line for the production of chocolate - from the show of a liquid mixture to the packaging of the finished product - each step of which can see with your own eyes.
In the confectionery workshop, you can watch the hand-made process of sweets, truffles and chocolate figurines. Every day, the museum produces up to 400 kilograms of chocolate products, most of which can purchase in the museum shop. All visitors at the entrance and exit of the museum receive a small souvenir in the form of a small chocolate bar.
In addition to independently inspecting the museum exhibits, there is an opportunity to take part in a tour of the museum, various options for tastings or take a course on training in making sweets.

Self-inspection
adult: weekdays - 12.50 euros, weekends - 13.50 euros,
children from 6 to 16 years old: weekdays - 7.50 euros, weekends - 8 euros,
students upon presentation of an international student card: weekdays - 9 euros, weekends - 10 euros,
persons over 65: weekdays - 11 euros, weekends - 12 euros,
family card - 2 adults and two own children: weekdays - 31.50 euros, weekends - 34 euros.
Guided tour of the museum with the preparation of a chocolate bar - 3.50 euros + entrance ticket.
Tours with tastings
"100% Chocolate Deluxe"
Includes a short tour of the museum plus an unlimited tasting of the best chocolates. The duration of the excursion and tasting is 1.5 hours; the cost is 90 euros per person. Without tasting - 65 euros.
Chocolate production courses
At the museum, you can attend small courses - seminars on the production of chocolate and sweets.
For adults:
Chocolate production course.
With the guidance of a master pastry chef, you can design and make your chocolate: course duration - 2 hours, cost - 45 euros per person.
Chocolate Candy Making Course.
The course participants will learn how to make a couverture correctly, get acquainted with making candy filling, and make their sweets. The recipes change regularly to suit the season. The duration of the course is 3 hours; the cost is 60 euros per person.
De Luxe chocolate production course.
In addition to the basics of making chocolates, there is an acquaintance with experimental components and creating your kind of sweets. Course duration - 4 hours, cost 75 euros per person.
For children and family offers:
making chocolates to your liking, duration - 50 minutes, cost - 19.50 euros per participant,
making chocolate - making two chocolate bars according to your recipe, duration - 1 hour, cost - 25 euros per participant,
According to your recipe, creation of sweets or chocolate figures plus a glass of cocoa and water, duration - 1.5 hours, cost - 33 euros per participant.
Children's courses provided for children from the age of 8 years. can be taken All manufactured chocolates.

How to get there
The museum is conveniently located in the city centre, between the historic centre and the Rhine harbour promenade.
By public transport
The Chocolate Museum is easily accessible by train, city train, or bus.
By train: Travel to the main train station, and then the easiest way to get there is on foot - from the Cathedral - heading south towards the river. From the Cologne page, under the Deutzer Brücke bridge - about 500 meters. As a landmark - Malakoff Tower, Malakoff Turm. A chocolate fountain is already visible from afar.
By city train: Stadtbahn (Stadtbahn) Lines S1, S8, S9 - to the Heumarkt stop.
By bus: Route 132 to the Heumarkt stop, then walk to the Rhine and upstream for about 200 meters on the left, behind the Havenbrucke harbour bridge. Route 106 towards Marienburg or Südpark to the stop (Schokoladen Museum).
By car
There are several car parks in the Chocolate Museum area.
By taxi
The Chocolate Museum is conveniently accessible with an Uber taxi.

Information sources: © tourister.ru