Schnutgen Museum

Cologne,the art capital on the river Rhine, is among one of the ancient cities of Germany & throughout the Dark Ages the city became a powerful Catholic city.

Any tourist fond of museums must visit Cologne-the city of museums, as it is called.Here one can find a huge number of museums which were mostly built in the 2nd half of the 20th century because the museums of the earlier generation were all destroyed in the 2nd World War.And if one comes to Cologne,he must have to come to the southeast part of Neumark in Cologne,in the old church of St. Cecilia-Schnutgen Museum.

Alexander Schnutgen, the founder of this museum,collected a huge number of medieval arts in around 1870 & he gave them to Cologne in 1906 & taking all these valuable treasures the museum has now become one of the important center of research in Europe.If anyone has interest about the art of Middle Ages,especially from the early Middle Ages to the end of Barouque period,this very ecclesiastical building can answer to his query.

The main attractions of this museums are its huge collections of textile & glass paintings.The church treasure art in bronze,silver,gold & ivory,the works of wood art along with the stone & architectural sculptures are really fantastic.
There are more than 250 liturgical robes & 350 materials among the textile collection.
There are approx. 200 church treasure art & 1100 works of art in wood.

At present there are more or less 13000 works of art among which only 10% could be displayed.

The Museum authority has already decided to extend their building & by around 2008 a new complex will also be built.

One of the famous festivals in Cologne is the Cologne Museum Festival & that is coming in May 2007.The Schnutgen Museum is becoming ready for the upcoming festival.