Urlaub in Köln | Erfinder auf Melaten | zu Fuß

Telling industrial history in a cemetery? That's possible! At Melaten. In the age of industrialization, Cologne was a melting pot for inventors and a location for innovation.

We visit the resting place of Nicolaus August Otto, the inventor of the Otto engine in 1876, as well as the graves of the founders of Pfeifer & Langen, who turned sugar beet into Cologne sugar. Maria Clementine Martin, known as the inventor of Klosterfrau Melissengeists, is also buried here.

The graves of other important Cologne business personalities can also be found here: the cable company Felten & Guilleaume, the Clouth rubber factory, the Kalk chemical factory (directors Grüneberg and Vorster) and Stollwerck, the well-known manufacturer of sweets and chocolate.

Success is often the result of a combination of economic know-how, chance and persistent research - as was the case 150 years ago. Our expert Georg Gütter takes you on a tour of the Melaten cemetery and shows you the graves of pioneering inventors. It is not only exciting to see who knew each other and developed together, but also how many of these large family businesses remained successful over generations.

Duration: approx. 1.5 hours
Expert: Georg Gütter
Meeting point: Melaten Cemetery, Piusstrasse entrance, 50931 Cologne

This tour is part of: Vacation in Cologne - Discover your city!
July 18 - August 2, 2026
🔗 All info & tours: www.urlaubinkoeln.de
A project of the Akademie för uns kölsche Sproch / SK Stiftung Kultur
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