Chocolate Museum

The Chocolate Museum occupies a narrow Rhine peninsula just south of Cologne's old town and ranks among Germany's most visited museums. It was founded in 1993 by Hans Imhoff, long-time head of Cologne confectionery company Stollwerck, who wanted to trace the full arc of cocoa history — from colonial-era plantations through industrialized production to the modern chocolate bar. Now operated under the Lindt name, the museum spans three floors and around 3,000 exhibits, with a notably candid section on the 18th- and 19th-century colonial cocoa trade that rarely gets this kind of dedicated museum space. The centerpiece is a gilded chocolate fountain from which visitors can scoop samples directly. Interactive cocoa-processing stations and a dedicated children's area make it unusually family-friendly, and the riverside terrace offers a clear view back across the Rhine toward Cologne Cathedral.

Glass pavilion at the Rheinauhafen with a living tropical greenhouse and a 3 m chocolate fountain.