Cologne’s top street art districts

Ehrenfeld

Cologne’s Ehrenfeld neighbourhood boasts the city’s highest concentration of large-format murals. On show are outstanding works by internationally acclaimed street artists like ROA, Herakut, Faith47, INTI, M-City and Interesni Kazki, plus local artists including Captain Borderline, Huami and Rakaposhii. Fans of smaller-format street art (paste-ups, stickers, stencils, tiles, etc.) should also hunt out the community’s local hotspots on Heliosstraße, Lichtstraße and Körnerstraße.

Hotspots

• Embankment around Ehrenfeld station (Gerhard-Wilczek-Platz, Ehrenfeldgürtel)
• Vogelsanger Straße (between Innere Kanalstraße and Äußere Kanalstraße)
• Heliosstraße
• Lichtstraße
• Bürgerzentrum Ehrenfeld, Venloer Straße 429
• Venloer Straße (between Ehrenfeldgürtel and Leyendeckerstraße)
• Körnerstraße
• Iltisstraße
• Liebigstraße
• Kolbhalle (Helmholtzstraße 8)
• Playgrounds between Glasstraße and Grimmstraße

Belgian Quarter

The street art hub between Aachener Straße and Venloer Straße features an eclectic array of works. As well as some magnificent murals by Tika, Hendrik ECB Beikirch and Sepe & Chazme, most of what you’ll come across here is small-format pieces by local artists, adorning facades, drives and even the pavement. Some of the hotspots, like the outside of a hairdressing salon or a bar on Brüsseler Straße, are absolute must-see fusions of different styles. In addition, the Belgian Quarter is home to three specialist galleries for street art that regularly hold inspiring exhibitions.

Hotspots

• Brüsseler Straße
• Aachener Straße (between Rudolfplatz and Moltkestraße)
• Maastrichter Straße
• Antwerpener Straße
• Moltkestraße (between Vogelsanger Straße and Aachener Straße)
• Bismarckstraße (between Antwerpener Straße and Brüsseler Straße)
• Alte Wallgasse

Nippes

If graffiti is your thing, head to Nippes, where the crème de la crème of Cologne’s writers have eternalised themselves with some outstanding pieces on the neighbourhood’s railway pillars. 2019 saw the culmination of this major project when the underpass at the Geldernstraße stop was given a complete makeover. Large-format murals by the likes of SatOne, El Bocho, Ripo and Danjer Mola perfect the look. Since the 2017 CityLeaks Festival, two majestic murals by Innerfields and Agostino Iacurci have graced the car park behind the Kaufhof department store on Neusser Straße.

Hotspots

• Railway line (between Niehler Kirchweg and Geldernstraße)
• Niehler Kirchweg (between Neusser Straße and Friedrich-Karl-Straße)
• Werkstattstraße
• Kunstwerk Nippes, Baudristraße 5
• Kaufhof car park, Neusser Straße 242-244
• Around Nippes station
• Mauenheimer Straße

Mülheim

As a result of the 2015 CityLeaks Festival, the Mülheim district on the right bank of the Rhine also has a number of fascinating murals to offer, by international street artists like Hense, Axel Void, Franco Fasoli and Ammar Abo Bakr. Further attractions include the Hall of Fame at MüTZe-Park and the paste-up gallery underneath Mülheimer Brücke bridge (currently undergoing maintenance work). In the neighbouring district of Buchforst, there’s been an ever-changing flow of spectacular graffiti works since 2019. Around the corner stands Cologne’s largest Zappel & Knautsch mural for all to admire.

Hotspots

• Dünnwalder Straße
• Clevischer Ring (between Berliner Straße and the Mülheim slip road)
• Kulturbunker, Berliner Straße 20
• MüTZe-Park, Berliner Straße 77
• Paste-up gallery underneath Mülheimer Brücke bridge (between Wallstraße and Mülheimer Freiheit)
• Vincenzstraße
• Karlsruher Straße (Buchforst)

Eigelstein & Agnesviertel

Graffiti galore, breathtaking murals and stunning concept art converge in the northern part of Cologne city centre. While large-format murals by artists like Hyuro, El Marian and Captain Borderline adorn the railway line between the city’s central and Hansaring stations, there’s an almost daily dose of fresh graffiti to admire at the Alte Feuerwache hall of fame. And the Ebertplatz underpass rounds off the local street art offering nicely with its embellished escalators and innovative art spaces.

Hotspots

• Hansaring station
• Maybachstraße (between Sudermanplatz and Ritterstraße)
• Alte Feuerwache, Melchiorstraße 3
• Balthasarstraße
• Ebertplatz (escalators to the underpass)
• Ursulaplatz / Am Salzmagazin

Latin Quarter

Cologne’s student district is another area with murals by Debug Visuals and the Low Bros plus lots of small-format gems. One thing to look out for here is the mosaic tile aliens by street art pioneer Invader.

Hotspots

• Zülpicher Straße (between Roonstraße and Zülpicher Wall)
• Kyffhäuserstraße
• Hochstadenstraße
• Roonstraße (between Barbarossaplatz and Zülpicher Straße)
• Barbarossaplatz (public transport stop)
• Luxemburger Straße (between Barbarossaplatz and Weißhausstraße)

If you’d like to find out more about the artists and their works, various street art tours take place on a regular basis in the neighbourhoods mentioned above.

And if you want to explore on your own, grab a copy of the latest urban art map from the tourist information office opposite the cathedral. Anyone can upload, describe and tag new street art locations on the map online so it’s always up to date:
streetartcities.com/cities/cologne