Since September 2021, one of the most modern municipal archives and one of the largest art-historical photo archives have been housed together under one roof at Eifelwall 5 in Cologne, not far from the university. A total of 50 kilometres of shelving in 28 storage rooms contains documents spanning over 1,000 years of the city's history. These include 60,000 documents (with the oldest dating back to 922), several thousand manuscripts, hundreds of thousands of files and plans, and millions of photographs and digital archive materials. This is the place to find all documents and images relevant to the history of the city and its inhabitants, from medieval documents to school reports of Cologne's citizens.
Numerous collections and estates of well-known politicians, writers, composers, musicians and architects complement and enrich the city's archives. Every year, around 250 shelf metres of archive material from municipal departments, private individuals, clubs and associations are added. The holdings of the Picture Archive of the Rhineland comprise around 5.5 million photographs in many formats, from 35mm to the largest glass negatives (70 x 90 cm), from slides to digital images. Collections of material reflect the technical development of photography since the 19th century. Photographers at the Picture Archive of the Rhineland are continuously expanding the collections by photographically documenting works of art in Cologne's museums and objects, architecture and monuments in Cologne and the surrounding area. The provision of images for science and research, private and commercial purposes is the central task. In addition, holdings of photographers with a connection to Cologne and the Rhineland are collected and preserved.
Its extensive and varied holdings make the Historical Archives with the Picture Archive of the Rhineland one of the most important municipal archives in Europe. It is open to all citizens, academics, pupils, students and all other interested parties.
The building is therefore the first spot for all Cologne residents with questions about the past and present, identity and homeland, in written and visual form. The holdings can be viewed in analogue form in the reading room on site or via the digital offerings on the Internet. There are many ways to get to know the archive: regular guided tours give visitors an exclusive insight into everyday archive life behind the scenes, in workshops and laboratories. There are also exhibitions, lectures, seminars, film evenings and events on a wide range of topics.
