The Kolumba Museum, which was built on the ruins of a historic Gothic church, is a memory that revives the values of Gothic architecture and commemorates the dark moments of the City of Cologne which were affected by the attacks of the Second World War.

Columba Museum by Peter Zumthor (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

St. Mary's Church Columba, which was the target of a bomb attack during the Second World War, left behind the ruins of a building which was then built on top of the ruins, a museum designed by the legendary architect, Peter Zumthor. To maintain its archaeological values, Zumthor utilized the ruins of buildings that were still standing to combine them with new buildings that created an architectural collaboration of old and new civilizations. 

The new structure blends seamlessly with the old structure (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

The distinctive view of the collaboration of the new structure with the old structure (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

Three different materials blend perfectly (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

Filled with 16 exhibition rooms and a large room filled with building ruins and historical works of art, this museum is ready to take visitors back in time. A vast space filled with building rubble offers a landscape view full of memories of a 2000-year-old architectural structure.

A vast space filled with building rubble (cr: Jose Fernando Vazquez) 

Columba It offers a landscape view full of memories of a 2000-year-old architectural structure (cr: Jose Fernando Vazquez) 

The hollow gray walls enclose the building and present points of light that glow in the space, creating the illusion of being in a dark cave, filled with building rubble that bears witness to the darkness of war. Towering gray columns with small diameters stand side by side in the space, creating a forest of columns that supports the roof of the building. 

A forest of slender and gray supports the building’s roof (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

The perforated gray walls present scattered points of light illuminating the space (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

The use of brick, limestone, terrazzo, and steel materials is presented in every corner of the room to add artistic and beautiful values. The presence of the gray color that covers the building not only supports the creation of a nostalgic atmosphere but also blends it with the ruins of the old building and the surrounding landscape.

The secret garden that hides inside the building (cr: Jose Fernando Vazquez) 

The gray tones blend harmoniously with the landscape (cr: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST) 

By maintaining the incomplete structure of the old building, the Kolumba Museum with its gray brick walls has succeeded in maintaining the archaeological values of St. John's Church. Kolumba is a monument that reminds us of the dark times of the Second World War which destroyed the city of Kolumba along with its historic architecture.

“Although our lives take place everywhere, we remember some places in particular. One such place is Kolumba” – Kolumba Museum 

Columba Museum seen from another angle, looks beautifully blended with the surrounding landscape (cr: Jose Fernando Vazquez) 

Columba Museum stands as a profound monument that reminds us of the dark times of the Second World War upon the city of Kolumba (cr: Jose Fernando Vazquez)