visitKoeln
  • Lifestyle
  • Gastronomic diversity
  • Culinary finds
  • Originally Kölsch
en
  • Deutsch
#urbanCGN ©Bilderblitz, KölnTourismus GmbH

The best spots for discovering Street Art

Walking through Cologne with one’s eyes wide open, one is bound to encounter street art at almost every corner. No matter if large murals on facades or walls or small stickers, stencils and paste-ups on gates and lampposts – the urban space is bubbling over with creativity! And yet there are certain quarters and spots in the city, where one may discover a plethora of street art in all its variations. These hotspots are worth checking out not only once, since they are in a process of continuous change – almost daily old things disappear while new things are added. In the following, I have listed the most exciting Cologne boroughs and quarters when it comes to street art. Apart from that, I also name some of the local hotspots that are absolute must-sees!

Ehrenfeld

Ehrenfeld impresses with the greatest number of large-scale murals in Cologne. Here, one may discover outstanding artworks by internationally renowned street artists such as ROA, Herakut, Faith47, INTI, Tika, M-City or Interesni Kazki just as much as works by local artists like Captain Borderline, Huami or Rakaposhii. Friends of paste-ups, stencils, stickers and graffiti should also stop by the local hotspots at Heliosstraße, Lichtstraße and Körnerstraße.

Hotspots

  • railway embankment around Ehrenfeld train station (Gerhard-Wilczek-Platz, Ehrenfeldgürtel)
  • Vogelsanger Straße (between Innere Kanalstraße and Äußere Kanalstraße)
  • Heliosstraße
  • Lichtstraße
  • Ehrenfeld community centre, Venloer Straße 429
  • Venloer Straße (between Ehrenfeldgürtel and Leyendeckerstraße)
  • Körnerstraße
  • Iltisstraße
  • Liebigstraße
  • Kolbhalle (Helmholtzstraße 8)
  • playgrounds between Glasstraße und Grimmstraße

Interesni Kazki, "Matriarchy", 2017, Vogelsanger Straße, Foto: Interesni Kazki
Captain Borderline, 2010, Glasstraße, Foto: Captain Borderline
RIPO, „Domestic Violence“, 2014, Lichtstraße, Foto: Robert Winter
Zedz, 2019, Leyendeckerstraße, Foto: Robert Winter

Belgisches Viertel

Cologne’s art hub between Aachener and Venloer Straße stands out due to its rich diversity in terms of street art. Apart from several impressive murals by Tika, Hendrik ECB Beikirch and Sepe & Chazme, one may also discover a myriad of small-scale works by local artists on facades, gates, doors or even inside the pavement. Some hotspots, such as the facade of a hairdressing salon or a bar on Brüsseler Straße, are truly total works of street art made up of countless small paste-ups, stickers and tiles! Moreover, there are a number of galleries located in the neighbourhood that have specialized on urban art and regularly come up with exciting 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

BezirkZwo, "Big Wall Project", 2015, Alte Wallgasse, Foto: Sascha Klein
Verschiedene Künstler, 2021, Brüsseler Straße, Foto: Sascha Klein
Sepe & Chazme, 2015, Moltkestraße, Foto: Sascha Klein
Zappel & Knautsch, „Belgisches Veedel“, 2015, Lütticher Straße / Moltkestraße, Foto: Sascha Klein

Nippes

In the northern borough of Nippes, fans of graffiti should feel at home: The concrete piers of the Nippes tram line have been wrapped with amazing pieces by the who is who of Cologne’s graffiti scene. In 2019 the project was completed with a full-scale graffiti makeover of the underpass at Geldernstraße train/tram station. Large-scale murals, such as by SatOne, El Bocho, Ripo and Danjer Mola, top off the picture. What is more, the gateway to backyard gallery Kunstwerk Nippes on Baudristraße has been painted by Cologne street art pioneer Marcus Krips. Since CityLeaks Festival 2017 another two stunning murals by Innerfields and Agostino Iacurci may be discovered on the backyard parking lot of the Kaufhof department store on Neusser Straße.

Hotspots

  • tram line piers and tunnel between Niehler Kirchweg and Geldernstraße
  • Niehler Kirchweg (between Neusser Straße and Friedrich-Karl-Straße)
  • Werkstattstraße
  • Kunstwerk Nippes, Baudristraße 5
  • parking lot of Kaufhof, Neusser Straße 242-244
  • all around Nippes train station
  • Mauenheimer Straße

El Bocho, 2021, Mauenheimer Straße, Foto: Sascha Klein
Innerfields, "Eden", CityLeaks Festival 2017, Neusser Straße (Parkplatz von Kaufhof), Foto: Robert Winter
Mittwochsmaler + Friends, 2015, Bahntrasse Nippes, Foto: Karla Windberger

Mülheim

Since CityLeaks Festival 2015, also Mülheim, situated on the eastern bank of the river Rhine, boasts a number of impressive murals by internationally acclaimed street artists, such as Hense, Axel Void, Franco Fasoli and Ammar Abo Bakr. Mülheim’s hall of fame at MüTZe park, one of the “living rooms” to Cologne’s graffiti scene, as well as the paste-up gallery below Mülheim Bridge (currently redeveloped) are also worth checking out. In the adjacent neighbourhood of Buchforst spectacular graffiti wraps around the Kalkberg hill. Round the corner Cologne’s largest mural by Zappel & Knautsch waits to be discovered.

Hotspots

  • Dünnwalder Straße
  • Clevischer Ring (between Berliner Straße and Mülheimer Zubringer)
  • Kulturbunker, Berliner Straße 20
  • MüTZe-Park, Berliner Straße 77
  • Paste-up Gallery below Mülheim bridge (between Wallstraße and Mülheimer Freiheit)
  • Vincenzstraße
  • Karlsruher Straße (Buchforst)

Acidum, „Brincando de Deus“, 2015, Vincenzstraße, Foto: Robert Winter
Franco Fasoli, 2015, Clevischer Ring, Foto: Robert Winter
Hall of Fame, MüTZe Park, Berliner Straße, Foto: Sascha Klein

Eigelstein & Agnesviertel

Loads of bold graffiti, thrilling muralism and dazzling conceptual art all coexist in the area north of Cologne’s immediate city centre. While large-scale murals by the likes of Hyuro, El Marian and Captain Borderline line along the elevated railways between Cologne central station and Hansaring, graffiti in the making may be spotted almost daily at the Alte Feuerwache community centre’s hall of fame. The picture is rounded up by the artistically redesigned escalators and a cluster of art spaces at the Ebertplatz arcade.

Hotspots

  • Hansaring train station
  • Maybachstraße (between Sudermanplatz and Ritterstraße)
  • Alte Feuerwache community centre, Melchiorstraße 3
  • Balthasarstraße
  • Ebertplatz (escalators to the arcade)
  • Ursulaplatz / Am Salzmagazin
Hyuro, „Sharing“, 2017, Maybachstraße, Foto: Robert Winter
Kölner Graffitikarte, 2019, Bahnstation Hansaring, Foto: Sascha Klein
Performance von Taka Kagitomi, Ebertplatzpassage, 2017, Foto: Mazena

Kwartier Latäng

Cologne’s student quarter invites you to discover a small number of murals by Low Bros, Debug Visuals, SeakOne and Marcus Krips. Apart from that, many small-scale treasures, such as Invader’s famed tiles are to be spotted in the quarter’s busy streets.

Hotspots

  • Zülpicher Straße (between Roonstraße and Zülpicher Wall)
  • Kyffhäuserstraße
  • Hochstadenstraße
  • Roonstraße (between Barbarossaplatz and Zülpicher Straße)
  • Barbarossaplatz (tram station)
  • Luxemburger Straße (between Barbarossaplatz und Weißhausstraße)

Low Bros, „Teen Wolves“, 2013, Trierer Straße, Foto: Robert Winter
Low Bros, „Teen Wolves“, 2013, Trierer Straße, Foto: Robert Winter

If you’re interested in learning more about the individual artists and artworks, I can recommend joining CityLeaks street art tours regularly offered in all the quarters mentioned above. Apart from that, I would like to raise your attention to two Facebook pages dedicated to the photographic documentation of the rich Cologne street art scene:

We Heart Streetart in Cologne   |   artkissed

0 Comments

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sascha Klein
Sascha Klein

Share this post

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Tumblr

Latest Posts

  • StadtgartenGreat parks to visit in CologneJuly 27, 2022 - 1:46 PM
  • CityLeaks Urban Art ToursJuly 26, 2022 - 11:10 AM
  • Straßengold: Arbeiten von xxxhibition, Straßengold II, Kulturbunker Mülheimer, 2016, Foto: artkissedCologne’s best galleries for Street ArtJuly 26, 2022 - 11:00 AM

More from author

  • CityLeaks Urban Art ToursJuly 26, 2022 - 11:10 AM
  • Straßengold: Arbeiten von xxxhibition, Straßengold II, Kulturbunker Mülheimer, 2016, Foto: artkissedCologne’s best galleries for Street ArtJuly 26, 2022 - 11:00 AM
  • CityLeaks Urban Art Festival 2019 - Mural von Zedz, Leyendeckerstraße 2a, 2019CityLeaks 2019August 28, 2019 - 11:37 AM

Contact

KölnTourismus GmbH
Kardinal-Höffner-Platz 1
50667 Köln
internet@koelntourismus.de

Latest News

  • StadtgartenSchöne zentrumsnahe Parks in KölnJuly 27, 2022 - 1:47 PM
  • StadtgartenGreat parks to visit in CologneJuly 27, 2022 - 1:46 PM
  • Straßengold: Arbeiten von xxxhibition, Straßengold II, Kulturbunker Mülheimer, 2016, Foto: artkissedDie besten Galerien für Street Art in KölnJuly 26, 2022 - 11:11 AM
Copyright © KölnTourismus GmbH
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Media Information
  • Guidelines
  • Imprint
  • Legal Notice
  • cologne-tourism.com
en
  • Deutsch
  • Lifestyle
  • Gastronomic diversity
  • Culinary finds
  • Originally Kölsch
Scroll to top