Stage Hero with 3:2 image

Hans Imhoff (1922-2007) dreamed of a chocolate museum with a fountain in which chocolate bubbled incessantly.

In 1972, Hans Imhoff took over the Stollwerck factory in Cologne's Südstadt district. There he happened to discover containers with broken machines, packaging materials and old files - scrap - ready for removal. 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.

The Chocolate Museum was opened on October 31, 1993 after a construction period of just 13 months. It has become a success in German museum history that was never thought possible: with over 650,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most visited cultural institutions in Cologne. The Chocolate Museum is self-supporting and generates its running costs independently - an exceptional phenomenon in the museum world.