Since the beginning of the organisation of the Carnival in Cologne 200 years ago, Jews have been part of it – in the hustle and bustle on the street and in the bars, in associations, on stage and at the front of it. From the beginning, Jewish carnivalists are excluded from taking part. With the rise of the Nazis, they are more and more radically vilified, excluded and persecuted – few are able to flee. They take the carnival with them into exile. For the first time, the exhibition of the NS-DOK puts Jewish carnivalists in the centre. It invites you to discover their stories – both from the past and today.

DIn four thematic areas, the exhibition explores participation and exclusion, enthusiasm, belonging, forced alienation - and return: in street carnival, on stage, in association life and in exile. A gallery presents over 70 Jewish carnivalists - from the famous stage artist Hans Tobar to Marlis Zilken, who celebrated the street carnival at the end of the 1920s at the age of three dressed up as "Roter Funke".

The exhibition of the NS Documentation Centre  is a contribution to the 200th anniversary year of Cologne Carnival.

© Leonie Braun / NS-Documentation Centre