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Jewellery by Artists: From Picasso to Koons, an exhibition organised by the culture and art portal Arterritory.com

Destinations · Europe · germany · Düsseldorf · Routes ·

If you have two or more days in Düsseldorf
Cologne is only 40 kilometres from Düsseldorf, and it would be a major sin not to visit it; the cathedral in Cologne is one of the most amazing structures in Europe and the largest Gothic house of worship in northern Europe. The towers are 157 metres tall and the great bell known as Dicker Pitter weighs 24 tonnes. The foundation stone dates to 1248, but construction wasn't completed until 1880, following the original medieval plans. Like the Old Town of Cologne, the cathedral was severely damaged in the Second World War. It was restored in 1956 and included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

Near the cathedral one can find one of the most famous modern art museums in Germany, the Ludwig Museum. Opening in 1986, its roots date to 1976, when Irene and Peter Ludwig bestowed their collection of 350 works of art to the city. Among its teasures are Malevich and Rodchenko's works; the Ludwig Museum actually possesses about 800 artworks by the Russian avant-garde. The Malevich collection in particular is one of the largest on earth and this year (until the 20th of February 2011) it's visible to the public in its entirety for the very first time.

Cologne is also the cradle of the well-known coffee table book publisher Taschen. In the 1980s, Benedikt Taschen founded his company, printing comic books for adults. There was tremendous interest in producing art books, which prior to the expansion of Taschen were often unaffordable to many. Making affordable art books are the formula of Taschen's success now, ever since the Basic Art series in the late 1980s focused on Picasso. By now, Taschen has expanded into many a field with the formula being attractive books at affordable prices. Nowadays there are 11 Taschen shops worldwide - but Cologne is where it all began!

Kölner Dom, Domkloster 4; www.koelner-dom.de
Museum Ludwig, Am Dom/Hauptbahnhof, Bischofgartenstrasse 1; www.museum-ludwig.de

 

^11/2010

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