Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

Right on the Rhine in Cologne's Rheinauhafen harbour district, inside a listed customs and warehouse hall dating from 1896, the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum tells the story of sport from ancient Greece to the present across roughly 2,700 square metres. Opened in 1999 as a "cultural joint project of German sport" and supported by the German Olympic Sports Confederation, the museum displays around 2,000 selected objects drawn from a collection of some 100,000 pieces - from Olympic torches and world-championship jerseys to medals and the personal estates of well-known athletes. Numerous hands-on stations, including an original goal wall from the TV show ZDF-Sportstudio, a bicycle in a wind tunnel and a boxing ring, turn a visit into an interactive experience, while two of Cologne's highest and most attractive playing fields on the museum's rooftop invite visitors to get active themselves. This combination makes the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum both a museum and an experience venue for families, school groups and sports fans of every age.

History of Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

The idea for a national sport museum emerged in the context of the 1972 Munich Olympics, when the wish arose for a permanent, contemporary place to convey the history and values of sport. A decisive step came in December 1982 with the founding of the non-profit "Verein Deutsches Sportmuseum," whose central tasks were building a comprehensive sport-historical collection and raising the funds needed to realise a museum building. With support from the city of Cologne, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government, a listed customs and warehouse hall from 1896 in Cologne's Rheinauhafen was eventually acquired and extensively converted for use as a museum. The Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum opened to great fanfare on 25 November 1999, conceived as a "cultural joint project of German sport" and backed by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), with which the museum remains closely linked to this day. Since the founding of the association in 1982, the collection has grown continuously: today it comprises around 100,000 objects reflecting the full breadth of sport history, from extensive collections and personal estates of individual athletes to nationally and internationally significant single pieces, memorabilia and autographs. Because only a small share of the holdings - roughly two percent - can ever be shown in the permanent exhibition at one time, the museum also serves as an important lender to other institutions, special exhibitions, and film and television productions. The collection continues to grow today, as current Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships regularly contribute new objects and keepsakes.

Highlights of Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

The location of the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum inside the historic 1896 customs hall overlooking the Rhine is a highlight in itself, but the interior also offers visitors a dense, hands-on journey through the history of sport. Among the best-known items in the collection are an Olympic torch from the 2020 Tokyo Games, an international-match pennant from the sporting estate of former national goalkeeper Harald Schumacher, the goalkeeper jersey worn by Friedrich Koncilia at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, and an advertising booklet produced by sportswear maker PUMA for the 1954 World Cup. Objects from German sport history before reunification also feature, including a football from the 1968 East German championship won by FC Carl Zeiss Jena and a sticker from the East German swimming federation. Families particularly enjoy the exhibition's many hands-on stations: visitors can test their shot at the original goal wall from the TV show ZDF-Sportstudio, get a feel for aerodynamic sports equipment at a bicycle set up in a wind tunnel, and experience combat sport up close in the boxing ring. Anyone looking for more activity after touring the climate-controlled exhibition halls can walk straight through the permanent exhibition up to the museum's rooftop, where two of Cologne's highest and most attractive playing fields await alongside a tremendous view over the Rheinauhafen - access is already included in the admission price.

Opening Hours, Tickets & How to Get to Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

According to the current information on the official museum website, the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10 am to 6 pm; during North Rhine-Westphalia's school holidays, the museum opens daily, including Mondays. It is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and during the main Carnival days; as it is not a municipal museum, the free admission of Cologne's "KölnTag" for city residents does not apply here. Admission costs 10.50 euros for adults, 7.50 euros for pupils, trainees and students, and 9.50 euros for seniors as well as for people with a degree of disability of at least 50 percent; companions, children under six, and members of the German Museums Association or ICOM are admitted free of charge. Families can buy a family ticket for 9.50 euros per adult and 6.50 euros per child, groups of twelve or more pay 9.50 euros per person, and on-site discounts apply for KölnCard holders (8.40 euros) and Köln-Pass holders (7.50 euros). Tickets can be purchased online in advance through the museum shop, and combined tickets are also available with the neighbouring Chocolate Museum, with the Cologne Ferris wheel, or with Rhine boat tours. The museum is located at Im Zollhafen 1, 50678 Köln, and can be reached via KVB bus line 133 (Schokoladenmuseum stop), bus lines 106, 132 and 260, and light-rail lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 17 (Heumarkt or Severinstraße stops); from the cathedral or main station it is roughly a 20-minute walk along the Rhine. Drivers can use the Rheinauhafen underground car park (entry height 1.90 metres), from which the museum is accessible step-free via the "red zone."

Attractions Near Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

Its location in the Rheinauhafen makes the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum an excellent starting point for a museum day along the Rhine. Just a few minutes' walk away is the Schokoladenmuseum, with which joint combination tickets are offered, as well as the Duftmuseum, Germany's centre for the culture of scent. Right on the water, the Rheinauhafen promenade with its striking Kranhäuser crane houses invites a stroll, before continuing through the historic Südstadt district and Chlodwigplatz toward the old town. Walking along the Rhine for about 20 minutes brings visitors to Cologne Cathedral and the old town, home to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Museum Ludwig and the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. A ride on the Cologne Ferris wheel or a Rhine boat tour, for both of which the museum offers its own combined tickets, also pairs wonderfully with a visit and offers another fine view of the city's skyline along the river.