Bundestag approves funding for Migration Museum

15 November 2019

Berlin, November 15, 2019 - Yesterday's budgetary committee of the German Bundestag approved 22.13 million euros for a »House of the Immigration Society«. The central migration museum was created at the request of the Documentation Center and Museum of Migration in Germany (DOMiD), which was founded in 1990 by migrants, to make the German culture of remembrance more diverse. The museum will be built in Cologne. The Federal State of NRW has also promised it´s support.

The managing director of DOMiD, Robert Fuchs, was pleased about the decision: "The support from the federal government marks an important milestone in the realization of the" House of the Immigration Society ". This paves the way for a central house in which Germany can experience itself as a migration society. ”The decision of the federal government was made in close coordination with the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has also pledged its support. As part of this, North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet visited the DOMiD office together with Secretary of State for Integration, Serap Güler at the beginning of the year.

Broad support for the Migration Museum

The member of the Bundestag bein in charge of the Cologne-Ehrenfeld constituency and chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, underlines the social importance of the project: “Migration is not only history in Germany, but is one of the urgent questions of our time. I campaigned for the "House of Immigration Society" to enable a place of culture of remembrance and a lively exchange of questions on migration in Germany. A city like Cologne, that has been shaped by migration for more than 2000 years and that has a cosmopolitan cultural landscape, is an excellent location for this. ”Cologne members of the Bundestag from all democratic parties supported the project in advance.

Location found in Cologne

The Cologne Integration Council already suggested to the Cologne City Council in April 2015, to examine the settlement of the planned migration museum in the Cologne city area. After a feasibility study funded by the Federal State of NRW in 2016, the City Council of Cologne commissioned the administration office in February 2018 to search for a location for a migration museum. In July this year, the city of Cologne and DOMiD were able to present a former industrial hall on the right bank of the Rhine in Cologne. Managing Director of DOMiD Fuchs explains the concept: “Based on our collection of exhibits and certificates of migration, which is unique in Germany, we can look at the impact of migration on our society from multiple perspectives. Biographical stories and historical migration research form the backbone. With our curatorial expertise and pedagogical methods, we create spaces in which a democratic and informed discourse on migration is made possible. In our opinion, the federal government recognized with its decision the relevance of a diverse discussion and memory culture in the migration society. "