2000 years of city history is given a new home. The "MiQua. LVR-Jewish Museum in the Archaeological Quarter Cologne”, a world-class museum of outstanding cultural diversity, is being built on the Via Culturalis.
The name is short for "Museum in the Quarter", referring to the huge excavation site covering 6,000 m2 in the Archaeological Quarter of Cologne below Rathausplatz. Excavation started in the 1950s and since then a wealth of outstanding treasures have been uncovered and pieced together to create an impressive picture of Cologne's history - especially the Roman period, the Middle Ages and Jewish history. Thanks to the numerous finds, archaeologists have been able to identify the monumental Praetorium where the Roman governor once resided, the medieval Jewish quarter and the Christian Goldsmiths' Quarter. A new museum building is now being constructed on top of these historically sensational archaeological monuments, housing both permanent and temporary exhibition areas. The underground tour will offer unprecedented insights into the underground world, displaying the archaeological finds on site, including the medieval synagogue and a Jewish ritual bath, the Mikveh.
