His chocolate museum

In 1972, Hans Imhoff took over the Stollwerck factory in Cologne's Südstadt district. There he happened to discover containers of broken machines, packaging materials and old files ready for removal - scrap. He immediately realized that he had found a treasure. He had it examined, refurbished and restored; the foundation for a museum was laid. However, it was many years before the chocolate museum opened. Hans Imhoff used this time to research the cultural and industrial history of chocolate. During this time, he built up his collection and constantly expanded it.

After his wife Gerburg Klara Imhoff found the best location for the Chocolate Museum in 1992 with the old main customs office in Cologne's Rheinauhafen, Cologne's new landmark was born. On October 31, 1993, the Chocolate Museum was opened after a construction period of just 13 months. It has become a success in German museum history that was never thought possible: with around 600,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most visited cultural institutions in Cologne. The Chocolate Museum is self-supporting and can generate its running costs independently - an exceptional phenomenon in the museum world.