Römisch-Germanisches Museum

The Roman mosaic with scenes from the world of Dionysos (around 220/230 A.D.) and the reconstructed tomb of the legionary Poblicius (around 40 A.D.) are probably the best known exhibits of the Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne. The museum's collection has profited from the archaeological legacy of Cologne and the surrounding region which spans a period from prehistoric times to the early Middle Ages. The worldwide largest collection of Roman glass vessels and a unique collection of Roman and early mediaeval jewellery are the highlights of this museum.

Numerous finds illustrating everyday life in the Roman Empire lead visitors into the heart of the Roman city of COLONIA CLAUDIA ARA AGRIPPINENSIUM (the Roman name of Cologne). Fragments of Roman architecture, inscriptions, portraits of, amongst others, Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia, ceramics and a great deal more provide visitors with an insight into the urban development of Roman Cologne from a major settlement of the Germanic tribe of the Ubii to a city under Roman legislation and capital of the Imperial province of Lower Germania. Mosaics and mural painting are evidence of the rich decoration of the houses. The various religious cults which are of Italic, Oriental and local origin come alive in the depiction of deities in stone, bronze and clay. Prehistoric finds from Cologne, the Rhineland and selected European sites dating from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages are also exhibited.

The Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne emerged from the Roman and Germanic department of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in 1946. The present building was opened in 1974 and is situated in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral. It was built on the walls of a Roman villa which was discovered in 1941 and which contained the world-famous Dionysos mosaic. The mediaeval Kaiserpfalz (imperial palace) also stood on this site. The museum houses the department of archaeological excavations and monuments of Cologne city council and fulfils three different functions as a centre of research, the archaeological archives of the City of Cologne and the public collection.
The presentation concept of the permanent exhibition has aroused international interest and has made the Römisch-Germanisches Museum one of the most popular museums in Germany.