Museum · Cologne · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud is a museum in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. This place has a story in the app. 41 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 320 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet, a bike pump and a water point.

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Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne, photo 2

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne, photo 3

The story

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Story · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud

You're standing at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, one of the great art museums of Germany. Have a look around. Cologne Cathedral is just nearby, and the city hall is right around the corner. The building in front of you is fairly young. Architect Oswald Mathias Ungers designed it, and it opened in 2001.

Read the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours: off
Admission: Paid
Wheelchair: Accessible
Visitors: 153,566 a year (2017)

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

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Photo: Hans Peter Schaefer - http://www.reserv-a-rt.de · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne: art in the city centre

The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne is one of the major art museums. Inside you will find paintings from the medieval period and from the centuries that followed. Well-known names include Stefan Lochner, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. The museum also holds many impressionist works by a group of painters who mainly wanted to show light and colour. In 2017, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud welcomed 153,566 visitors. The museum stands on Obenmarspforten in the centre of Cologne, close to Cologne Cathedral. The ruin of Alt St. Alban is 44 metres away. The Romano-Germanic Museum is 369 metres further on, and Museum Ludwig is 409 metres away.

What you can see in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum

The building was designed by architect Oswald Mathias Ungers and still looks quite new. Inside, you start with medieval art from Cologne itself. The highlight is the Madonna by Lochner, painted around 1450. Mary sits with her child among blooming roses, surrounded by small angels. There is also work on the legend of Ursula and her 11,000 virgins, and a panel by Albrecht Dürer. On the second floor you will find Rubens and a self-portrait by Rembrandt, alongside Frans Hals and Van Dyck, among others. After that come Cézanne, Gauguin and Munch. The impressionist works largely come from the collection of Gérard Corboud, with more than 170 works on long-term loan. A fun detail: in 2008, a Monet from 1954 turned out to be a fake. The museum kept it anyway, and still has 5 genuine ones.

The history of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum

The museum stands on very old ground. A temple to Mars, the god of war, once stood on this spot. Cologne was then still called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. The museum takes its name from Ferdinand Franz Wallraf and Johann Heinrich Richartz, both people from Cologne. Ferdinand Franz Wallraf was a scholar who collected everything: paintings, art objects and all kinds of curiosities. When he died in 1824, the city inherited his collection. The merchant Johann Heinrich Richartz then funded a museum building of its own, which opened in 1861, shortly after his death. In 1942, in the middle of the global conflict, the building was destroyed. In 1976, modern art moved to the new Museum Ludwig. Since then, the museum has focused on medieval art up to the arrival of modern art. The current building was designed by architect Oswald Mathias Ungers and opened in 2001.

Plan your visit: tickets and accessibility

Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud currently shows as closed on OpenStreetMap, so check the museum's website before you set off to be sure when you can go in. Admission is paid, so you will need a ticket even if you only want a quick look around. The museum is wheelchair accessible, and there is a toilet inside that you can use with a wheelchair. This makes it easy to take a relaxed break during your walk through Cologne.

Toilets, drinking water and benches nearby

Benches are easy to find near the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne. The closest one is 81 metres away, at Quatermarkt, and there are 162 benches within 500 metres. The nearest public toilet is 269 metres away, on Hohe Straße. This public toilet is wheelchair accessible and has a baby changing table. There are 7 public toilets within 500 metres. Drinking water is available 320 metres away, at Kurt-Hackenberg-Platz, which is the only water point within 500 metres. If you have your bike with you, you can pump up your tyres for free at Heumarkt, 297 metres away. This bike pump is also the only one within 500 metres.

Walking and more to see nearby

After your visit, you can keep walking, as there are more places close to the museum. The closest is Cologne Cathedral, 446 metres away. It is an attraction where you can listen to an audio story, so you can learn more about the building as you walk around. If you would rather do something different, it is a 729-metre walk to the Chocolate Museum in Cologne. This is a museum about chocolate. A bit further on, 1,102 metres away, you will find St. Gereon's Basilica in Cologne. This church is also an attraction. The distances are short enough to walk, so you can make a relaxed stroll of it through the centre of Cologne. Along the way you will pass the benches and toilets already listed above.

Facilities near Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 41 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Cologne Cathedral · 450 m

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 deView the photo on Wikimedia Commons

MuseumStory

Museum Ludwig · 410 m

Photo: Thomas Robbin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

MuseumStory

Chocolate Museum · 730 m

Photo: Photo: Arminia, cropped by Elya, · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

MuseumStory

Romano-Germanic Museum · 370 m

Photo: Raimond Spekking · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionStory

St. Gereon's Basilica · 1.1 km

Photo: Raimond Spekking · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Hear the story of Cologne Cathedral on the spot with the app

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Walks within 2 km

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Frequently asked questions

Is entry to the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne paid?

Yes, you need a paid ticket for the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud. The museum is at Obenmarspforten 40 in Cologne.

Where can I find drinking water at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud?

The nearest drinking water tap is 320 metres from the museum, at Kurt-Hackenberg-Platz. Within 500 metres, this is the only water tap.

Where is a toilet at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud?

Inside the museum there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet. Outside the museum, the nearest public toilet is 269 metres away, at Hohe Straße. It has a baby changing table and is also wheelchair-accessible.

Are there benches near the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud?

Yes, the nearest bench is 81 metres from the museum, at Quatermarkt. Within 500 metres there are 162 benches.

What is the highlight of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud?

The highlight is the Madonna by Stefan Lochner, painted around 1450. The museum also has works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Cézanne, among others.