Cologne - Schokoladenfabrik

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

The founder of the museum was Hans Imhoff, who owned the majority of the Stollwerck AG, one of the leading, historically important chocolate manufacturers worldwide.

When in the 1970s the Stollwerck factory was moved out of the centre of the Suedstadt of Cologne, Hans Imhoff ensured that a comprehensive inventory of business records, photos and exhibits documenting the history of the company and the Stollwerck family were preserved.

The establishment of the chocolate museum started in 1991, by acquiring a part of the former harbour including the Malakoffturm and a swing bridge. Already two years later, the new building was completed and the opening took place on October 31. 1993.

The exhibition shows the history of chocolate, from its beginnings with the Olmec and Maya to today's chocolate products. A miniature production system is installed, which demonstrates the functionality of industrial chocolate production. A special attraction is the 3-metre-high chocolate fountain, where an employee dips wafers into the liquid chocolate and distributes them to the visitors.