Kolumba
Kolumbastraße 4
D-50667 Köln
tel +49 (0)221 9331930
fax +49 (0)221 93319333
1954 – 1971
New location at Roncalliplatz
Joseph Hoster

After various plans for a new museum building for the museum had failed, the rented rooms in the Gereonstraße were fixed up for the public, so that the museum could be reopened in the presence of Cardinal Frings in 1954. Further plans for a new building on the south side of the Cologne Cathedral – in connection with the Roman-Germanic Museum, the Schnütgen Museum or even a yet to be founded Cathedral Museum failed because of financial concerns. The idea of the museum being supported by the Archbishopric failed as well. A new perspective for a museum space arose only in 1959. The Diözesanmuseum signed over the site near the Domhof to the cathedral chapter, as it had not been built upon again since the end of the war. As a countermove, the chapter was obliged to hand over the rooms in the Curia building (Roncalliplatz 2), which had been built by Willy Weyres, to the museum. For the public the rooms were made accessible with the opening of the exhibition “The Master of the Shrine of the Three Magi”. The interior architecture had been carried out by the architect Günter Hagen. In the following years, the exhibition rooms were used for receptions of the Archbishophric and small exhibitions. Until 1971, the office rooms were let out to the Roman-Germanic Museum and for the time being the Diözesanmuseum had to stay at the Gereonstraße address. The director of the museum, Joseph Hoster, put the main emphasis of his work on participating and planning numerous exhibitions and supporting them with loans of art works. During his period of office the collection was enlarged with the addition of some late Antique, Byzantine and Coptic pieces.
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KOLUMBA :: Museums-History :: 1954 – 1971

1954 – 1971
New location at Roncalliplatz
Joseph Hoster

After various plans for a new museum building for the museum had failed, the rented rooms in the Gereonstraße were fixed up for the public, so that the museum could be reopened in the presence of Cardinal Frings in 1954. Further plans for a new building on the south side of the Cologne Cathedral – in connection with the Roman-Germanic Museum, the Schnütgen Museum or even a yet to be founded Cathedral Museum failed because of financial concerns. The idea of the museum being supported by the Archbishopric failed as well. A new perspective for a museum space arose only in 1959. The Diözesanmuseum signed over the site near the Domhof to the cathedral chapter, as it had not been built upon again since the end of the war. As a countermove, the chapter was obliged to hand over the rooms in the Curia building (Roncalliplatz 2), which had been built by Willy Weyres, to the museum. For the public the rooms were made accessible with the opening of the exhibition “The Master of the Shrine of the Three Magi”. The interior architecture had been carried out by the architect Günter Hagen. In the following years, the exhibition rooms were used for receptions of the Archbishophric and small exhibitions. Until 1971, the office rooms were let out to the Roman-Germanic Museum and for the time being the Diözesanmuseum had to stay at the Gereonstraße address. The director of the museum, Joseph Hoster, put the main emphasis of his work on participating and planning numerous exhibitions and supporting them with loans of art works. During his period of office the collection was enlarged with the addition of some late Antique, Byzantine and Coptic pieces.