Germany: Chocolate Museum in Cologne

Make your trip to Germany even sweeter with a visit to the super Chocolate Museum in Cologne and enjoy shopping for Lindt chocolates.

GERMANY: CHOCOLATE MUSEUM IN COLOGNE

Let's agree that there is no shortage of museums in this world. But it's not everywhere you find a museum like this in Cologne. And it's no wonder that nearly 700,000 people visit the museum annually. Opened in 1993, the Chocolate Museum seeks to show the entire history of chocolate, from its beginnings with the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs to contemporary products and modern production methods.

Its location is privileged on the banks of the River Rhine, which cuts through the city of Cologne. It is even necessary to cross a pedestrian bridge to reach the small and friendly island where the museum is located, which is all made of glass and steel and has a super modern look, providing panoramic views of the city. For those with a sweet tooth, you won't start tasting right away. Entering the museum, go to the ticket office, buy your ticket to go to the place where the exhibitions begin.

ECONOMY TIP: KÖLN CARD

An economy tip for visiting Cologne is the city's discount card in 24h and 48h versions. In addition to including discounts at several attractions, it includes free public transportation and discounts at shops and restaurants. Check out what's included in the card and get yours in this link: Free travel on buses and trains | Up to 50% off Attractions and Museums | Up to 50% off Guided Tours | Up to 20% Restaurant Discount | Up to 15% off purchases

Read more: Germany: What to do in Cologne – 1 or 2 day itinerary

 

The museum has an exhibition that tells the entire history of chocolate in a visual and interactive way with lots of images and texts in German and English. In short, the process began about 3,000 years ago. The Mayans and Aztecs already consumed a type of bitter chocolate, obtained from a fruit that existed in abundance in the region, cocoa, even before America was discovered at the end of the 15th century. Already in 16th century Europe, chocolate was a food of the nobility and was consumed with the greatest refinement in porcelain dishes and silver utensils. Some of these items can be seen in the museum's exhibit. Chocolate started to become even more popular in the late 17th century and was mostly consumed in liquid form, combined with alcoholic beverages.

But not everything is just joys in this scenario. The museum does not fail to explore the fact that cocoa cultivation is carried out by poor and underdeveloped populations. Due to the favorable climate and soil, several African countries are important cocoa producers, but the workers have terrible working conditions. After this part of the exhibition, you reach a greenhouse that simulates a tropical forest (hot and humid) with the typical vegetation in which the fruits for the production of chocolate are found.

Then, you arrive at the museum area dedicated to the production of chocolate itself, with machines and equipment that process the ingredients that take the form of chocolate bars. For this, there is a mini factory of the famous Swiss Lindt chocolates inside the museum that produces about 400 kg of chocolate daily. But there are also old machines on display that were used in past centuries to produce the delicacy.

The most interesting part, for sure, is the 3 meter high fountain of 200 kg of liquid chocolate that an employee dips waffers in so that visitors can taste the chocolate. Sensational!

Going up the stairs, you can ask to make a customized chocolate, with chestnuts, dried fruits and everything you want! You pay 4.90 euros, continue walking around the museum as normal and come back 35 minutes later to pick up your custom-made chocolate! There are also cooking rooms where periodic activities and classes are held (it is worth checking the dates on the official website).

Upstairs there is also a “Cinema do Chocolate” where several TV advertisements are shown that made the product known worldwide for all social classes. In this area are also old machines that sold chocolates, an area with interactive activities for children and several packages of chocolates sold around the world (even a replica of Milka's purple cow in full size can be seen there).

After the visit, it's time to buy lots of chocolates at Lindt's shop, the one we mentioned at the beginning of this post. It is worth taking advantage of it because there is a huge variety of types of chocolate of various flavors, shapes and textures. We are crazy about Lindor balls, with creamy chocolate filling! Hmm, mouth watering!

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum

• Address: Am Schokoladenmuseum 1A, 50678 Cologne, Germany
• Schedules: Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm / Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm / closed on Mondays
• Entrance: 9 euros

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Read more about Germany:

• Germany: Things to do in Cologne
• Germany: The amazing Romantic Road
• Germany: Cologne Cathedral and the 3 Magi
• Germany: Neuschwanstein Castle
• Germany: What to do in Berlin
• Germany: How to visit the amazing Nuremberg Castle
• Germany: 10 attractions in Frankfurt