THE WALLRAF LAYS FOUNDATION STONES...
In 1855, the foundation stone for the first Wallraf-Richartz Museum was laid at the Minorite Church. A generous donation from Cologne merchant Johann Heinrich Richartz (1796–1861) made it possible to construct the building. 170 years later – on 21 October 2025 – the fifth foundation stone for the city's oldest museum will be laid. It is the first stone for the extension designed by Basel architects Christ & Gantenbein at Cologne City Hall.
To mark the occasion, the Wallraf is taking a look back at the past with its own presentation in the museum foyer (21 October to 16 November 2025), showcasing the mementos that were laid in the foundation stone of the first Wallraf-Richartz Museum 170 years ago. On 3 October 1855, the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795–1861), came to Cologne especially to lay the foundation stone for the first permanent bridge over the Rhine in the morning and for the Wallraf-Richartz Museum at noon. At the festive ceremony, Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (1748–1824) was celebrated as the self-sacrificing saviour of Cologne's scientific and artistic treasures, as was Johann Heinrich Richartz, who was present and had used his fortune to build the museum.
Almost 100 years later, in December 1953, the foundation stone from 1855 was found by chance during excavation work in preparation for the construction of the new building for the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, which had been destroyed in the Second World War. The objects brought to the surface were secured: in addition to a handful of coins from the reign of Frederick William IV, a glass cylinder was recovered containing an artistically designed document and a copy of the ‘Kölnische Zeitung’ newspaper from the day the foundation stone was laid. Neither document survived the passage of time unscathed. However, a metal plate with a Latin inscription remained intact.
