Kolumba Museum
Kolumba Museum is situated in Cologne, Germany, a city that was almost completely destroyed in World War II. Nowadays the museum houses the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s collection of art which spans more than a thousand years. Some of the historic fragments around the museum includes pieces of the Gothic church and stone ruins from the Roman and medieval periods.
The facade of grey brick integrates the remnants of the church’s facade into a new face for the contemporary museum. Articulated with perforations, the brick work allows diffused light to fill specific spaces of the museum. As the seasons change, the”mottled light shifts and plays across the ruins,” creating a peaceful ever-changing environment.
The museum includes 16 different exhibition rooms and, at the heart of the building, a secret garden courtyard – a quiet and secluded place for reflection. The bricks are handcrafted by Petersen Tegl of Denmark.
