Romano-Germanic Museum

The Romano-Germanic Museum sits beside the cathedral and houses one of the most important collections of Roman art and artefacts north of the Alps. Cologne was a major Roman city — Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium — founded in 50 AD and the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior for several centuries. The collection reflects that deep history: funerary monuments, glassware, jewellery, weapons, and the extraordinary Dionysos Mosaic that is the museum's centrepiece.

Note that as of recent years the main building has been undergoing renovation and parts of the collection have been displayed in temporary locations. Check the museum's current status before visiting, as the renovation has been ongoing. Even partially open, it is among the most important Roman archaeology museums in Europe.

things to do museum
A story
The museum was built in 1974 around the Dionysos Mosaic, a 3rd-century Roman floor mosaic discovered in 1941 during construction of an air-raid shelter. It was so large and fragile — 70 square metres of intricate tessellation — that archaeologists decided to build the museum around it rather than risk moving it. The mosaic remained in situ and became the centrepiece of the new building.