Location found for the central museum of migration

For the first time, DOMiD (Documentation Center and Museum of Migration in Germany) has been named as a potential occupant of a building owned by the city of Cologne. The site will house the future migration museum.

With the announcement comes the conclusion of the joint location search by the city government and DOMiD, which was called for in a February 2018 decision by the Cologne City Council. On Tuesday, 2 July 2019, the findings of a feasibility study on the use of the "Hallen Kalk" site were presented at a workshop in the Abenteuerhalle Köln-Kalk. Citizens and residents representing various organisations had beforehand had a chance to voice their ideas and stipulations on the use of the site. Now the architecture firm BeL Sozietät für Architektur, in consultation with the city of Cologne, has presented the outcome. According to this, one of the large halls is intended for the planned museum of migration. Markus Greitemann, head of the Cologne city Building Department, welcomed the findings. Marco Pagano, district mayor of Cologne-Kalk, declared the museum as a big win for the site.

Ideal Location for the Migration Museum

Managing Director of DOMiD Dr Robert Fuchs names the advantages of the chosen location: "Kalk is a city district forged and shaped by migration, that reflects the diversity of a migration society. We are taking our museum to a place where the future of this society will also be able to be directly experienced and seen. Hall 70 offers historical points of reference and is technologically as well as architecturally significant. By establishing a project of such national and international importance, the entire site will benefit, becoming notably more attractive as a location." Following the location search, talks with other involved parties, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government about the financing will become more concrete.

The planned museum sees itself as a forum for public discussion on and about migration society. The innovative concept incorporates historical events, biographical narratives as well as discursive tools as content for the museum. The diverse perspectives on migration society effect a reduction of tension in the debates surrounding migration and contribute to a dismantling of myths and prejudices. One aim of the museum is a strengthening of civil society.

The Museum Offers Great Prospects for Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia

In January 2019, Armin Laschet, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the DOMiD offices to speak with association representatives about the possibilities of a museum of migration in North Rhine-Westphalia, and more specifically, in Cologne. A location in North Rhine-Westphalia has now been identified, in a former industrial building in Cologne-Kalk.

(Foto: krafthaus, das atelier von facts und fiction)