In the location's words:

It all comes back somehow. Retro is often indistinguishable from vintage. People scour flea markets for grandmother's dishes, the good old string shelf is still in production, and double-bridge and horn-rimmed glasses have long been part of our everyday lives again anyway. Regardless of all the psychological and social drivers of this phenomenon, you can look at it this way: Good design is simply timeless.

As the only museum in North Rhine-Westphalia, the MAKK offers you the entire spectrum of European arts and crafts - from the Middle Ages to the 21st century - to marvel at.

It's great fun to discover what came up when - and why. Changing exhibitions and a diverse program hold something for every visitor.

As the home of several design colleges, it seems only logical that Cologne should house a museum of applied art. It is also fitting in view of the "furniture mile" along the Ringe. In fact, however, the MAKK has been around since 1888. Originally initiated by citizens, it was founded as a "collection of samples" of the most diverse arts and crafts genres. Craftsmen, designers and their clients were to be inspired (and at best emulate the models). There is glass, ceramics, silver and gold to marvel at, furniture and textile art, fashion, jewelry and commercial graphics.

Today, as then, the MAKK aims to stimulate and also to be a forum for discussion.

Photo Credit: © Constantin Meyer Photography