New Museum in Cologne: Experience love and pain up close!

New Museum in Cologne: Experience love and pain up close!

A very special place opened its doors in the heart of Cologne at the beginning of April 2025: the “Museum of Pain and Love”. Covering a total of 300 square meters, it invites visitors to immerse themselves in the complex emotions of love, pain, loss and hope. Tole Glock, a 36-year-old teacher and story collector, developed this unique concept that aims to bring stories to life and connect people. Loud Cologne City Gazette Guests can stroll freely through the museum without having to follow a set tour.

The first floor of the museum is impressively divided into two areas: the “Area of ​​Love” and the “Area of ​​Pain”. At over 150 interactive stations, which include everyday objects, visitors learn stories that reflect deep personal experiences. Two-thirds of the stations offer interactive opportunities such as puzzles, mini-games and artistic activities that stimulate exchange. This multi-layered approach to the topics of pain and love not only promotes personal reflection, but also stimulates a critical dialogue, as the Cologne tourism website emphasizes.

Interactive experiences and creative spaces

Another highlight of the museum is the upper floor area, which offers creative spaces for artistic activities and various events. There are writing evenings and lectures here that invite you to delve even deeper into the subject matter. True crime themes are covered in the basement and a black light room provides additional surprises. The museum, which used to be a camel stand, impresses with its winding spatial concept, which makes the visit an exciting experience.

For the exciting experiences you pay 14 euros as an adult from Wednesday to Thursday, while admission costs 16 euros on the weekend. Students and trainees come in at reduced prices and children up to the age of six have free access. Regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday, with closure on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Emotional connections in art

The Museum of Pain and Love is part of a larger trend: the emotional approach to art and our individual perception have come into greater focus in recent years. For example, the exhibition “FEELINGS” in the Pinakothek shows how personal experiences can influence our view of art. Here, around 40 contemporary artists present over 100 works that encourage intuitive discussion and enable an emotional dialogue between the work of art and the viewer. Curators Bernhart Schwenk and Nicola Graef emphasize that the emotional reaction is becoming increasingly important - from joy to sadness to anger and disgust.

This development, like them Pinacoteca describes, makes it clear that art not only fulfills an intellectual purpose, but above all also creates connections and awakens emotions. The museum in Cologne is part of a world in which the exchange and personal experience of stories and emotions are at the center. If you are curious, you should definitely put a visit to the “Museum of Pain and Love” on your to-do list – there is a lot to discover here!