# NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne

> NS Documentation Centre - Cologne

**Wikidata**: [Q560033](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q560033)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Documentation_Centre_of_the_City_of_Cologne)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ns-documentation-centre-of-the-city-of-cologne

## Summary
The NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne is a museum, memorial and research institute in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to documentation and study of National Socialism in the city. It is located in the EL-DE Haus in the Altstadt-Nord district and combines exhibition space, archival holdings and research activities.

## Key Facts
- Instance: museum, memorial, and research institute focused on National Socialism documentation.
- Location: EL-DE Haus, Altstadt-Nord, Cologne, Germany; coordinates 50.94061554842741, 6.950177092919927.
- Inception: de jure 13 December 1979; de facto and preferred inception date 11 June 1987.
- Official opening date: 19 September 1988.
- Expansion: significant expansion completed in 2012.
- Architect of (re)design: Peter Kulka; recipient of the Kölner Architekturpreis (Cologne Architecture Prize) in 2000.
- Visitor numbers (selected years): 25,754 (2002); 59,171 (2012); 77,391 (2015); 80,386 (2016); 89,212 (2017); 92,777 (2018); 97,041 (2019, preferred).
- Director/manager: Horst Matzerath (served until 2002); Werner Jung (served from 5 December 2002 until 1 November 2021).
- Official website: http://www.museenkoeln.de/ns-dokumentationszentrum/
- Identifiers: ISIL DE-MUS-401314; ISNI 0000 0008 1903 607; GND 2101563-6; VIAF 121946157; Freebase /m/0j_2w3m.

## FAQs
### Q: What is the NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne?
A: It is a municipal institution in Cologne that functions as a museum, memorial and research centre documenting National Socialism in the city. It is housed in the EL-DE Haus in the Altstadt-Nord district.

### Q: When did the NS Documentation Centre open?
A: The centre’s de jure founding date is 13 December 1979, with a de facto/preferred inception recorded as 11 June 1987; its official opening took place on 19 September 1988.

### Q: Where is the centre located and how can I find it?
A: The centre is located in the EL-DE Haus in Cologne’s Altstadt-Nord. Coordinates: latitude 50.94061554842741, longitude 6.950177092919927.

### Q: Has the centre been expanded or renovated?
A: Yes. A significant expansion of the NS Documentation Centre occurred in 2012.

### Q: Who has led the centre?
A: Horst Matzerath served as director until 2002. Werner Jung served as director from 5 December 2002 until 1 November 2021.

## Why It Matters
The NS Documentation Centre serves multiple roles: it preserves and presents documentary evidence about National Socialism in Cologne, provides a public memorial function, and supports scholarly research. As a municipal museum and research institute located in the historically significant EL-DE Haus, it offers a place for collective memory, education and academic inquiry. Measured public interest—reflected in steadily rising visitor numbers culminating in a preferred figure of 97,041 visitors in 2019—shows its importance as a cultural and educational attraction. The 2012 expansion increased its capacity to host exhibitions and research activities. Architecturally, the centre’s redesign by Peter Kulka earned the Kölner Architekturpreis in 2000, demonstrating recognition for its built-environment contribution. Collectively, these elements position the NS Documentation Centre as a key local and regional institution for documenting the history and consequences of National Socialism and for supporting informed public engagement.

## Notable For
- Being a combined museum, memorial and research institute dedicated to documenting National Socialism in Cologne.
- Location in the EL-DE Haus and prominent presence in Cologne’s Altstadt-Nord with precise coordinates 50.94061554842741, 6.950177092919927.
- Significant expansion completed in 2012 that enlarged its exhibition and research capacity.
- Architectural recognition: architect Peter Kulka and recipient of the Kölner Architekturpreis in 2000.
- Strong and growing public visitation, with a preferred recorded annual visitor total of 97,041 in 2019.

## Body

### Overview
- Official name (English): NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne.
- Aliases: El Centro de Documentacion sobre el Nacionalsocialismo de la ciudad de Colonia; NSDOK; NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln.
- Instance types: museum; memorial; research institute.
- Primary site: EL-DE Haus, Altstadt-Nord, Cologne, Germany.
- Website: http://www.museenkoeln.de/ns-dokumentationszentrum/

### History & Key Dates
- De jure founding date: 13 December 1979.
- De facto / preferred inception date: 11 June 1987.
- Official opening: 19 September 1988.
- Major expansion: 2012 (listed as a significant event).

### Location & Building
- Building: EL-DE Haus (home of the NS Documentation Centre).
- District: Altstadt-Nord, Cologne.
- Coordinates: 50.94061554842741 N, 6.950177092919927 E.
- Timezone: UTC+01:00 (standard time); UTC+02:00 (daylight saving time).

### Architecture & Awards
- Architect: Peter Kulka (credited in 2000 sources).
- Award: Kölner Architekturpreis (Cologne Architecture Prize), point in time 2000.

### Function & Activities
- Functions as a public museum, memorial and a research institute focused on National Socialism documentation and study.
- Combines exhibitions, archival collections and research-oriented activities (as implied by institutional classifications and aliases).

### Visitors & Public Reach
- Selected annual visitor figures:
  - 2002: 25,754
  - 2012: 59,171
  - 2015: 77,391
  - 2016: 80,386
  - 2017: 89,212
  - 2018: 92,777
  - 2019: 97,041 (preferred)
- These figures document growth in public visitation over time.

### Organization & Leadership
- Past directors/managers:
  - Horst Matzerath (served until 2002).
  - Werner Jung (served from 5 December 2002 to 1 November 2021).
- Has at least one named organisational part recorded (has_part: Q28739316).

### Identifiers & External Profiles
- ISIL: DE-MUS-401314
- ISNI: 0000 0008 1903 607
- GND: 2101563-6
- VIAF: 121946157
- Freebase ID: /m/0j_2w3m
- RERO (legacy): A008721351
- Bibsys ID: 6079175
- idRef ID: 12145424X
- Library of Congress authority ID: n90714019
- National Library of Israel J9U ID: 987007302421605171
- NACSIS cat author ID: DA09315645
- Archivportal NRW ID: ns-dokumentationszentrum-der-stadt-koeln
- OpenStreetMap node ID: 78605265
- Twitter handle: @NSDOK (account active since 18 March 2009, recorded as of 1 March 2021).

### Media & Public Resources
- Logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Logo_NSDOK_Koeln.svg
- Representative image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cologne-EL-DE-House-UpperFloorMuseum.JPG
- Pronunciation audio (French): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/LL-Q150_(fra)-Madehub-centre_de_documentation_sur_le_nazisme.wav
- Commons category: NS-Dokumentationszentrum der Stadt Köln
- Wikipedia title: NS Documentation Centre of the City of Cologne
- Wikipedia language coverage: commons, de, en, es, fr, it, pl, ru

### Notable Events & Recognition
- 2000: Architect Peter Kulka associated award (Kölner Architekturpreis).
- 2012: Documented significant expansion of the centre.
- 2019: Recorded preferred annual visitor total of 97,041.

### Related Classifications
- Classified as a research institute (organization whose primary purpose is research).
- Sitelink count: 8 (Wikipedia/Wikidata linkage across languages).

(End of entry)

## References

1. [Source](http://www.koelnerarchitekturpreis.de/archiv/koelner-architekturpreis-2000/)
2. Virtual International Authority File
3. CiNii Research
4. [Source](https://lingualibre.org/wiki/Q678357)
5. [Source](https://museenkoeln.de/ns-dokumentationszentrum/default.aspx?s=335)
6. [2019](https://magazine.dumontnext.de/e-magazines/40-jahre-ns-dok.pdf)
7. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
8. [Source](https://museenkoeln.de/ns-dokumentationszentrum/default.aspx?s=285)
9. [Source](http://www.welt.de/print/welt_kompakt/koeln/article116585482/Besucherrekord-beim-NS-Dokumentationszentrum.html)
10. [Source](http://www.rundschau-online.de/region/koeln/ns-dokumentationszentrum-bei-touristen-fast-so-beliebt-wie-der-dom-23911326)
11. [Source](http://www.stadt-koeln.de/politik-und-verwaltung/presse/2017-war-ein-erfolgsjahr-fuer-die-staedtischen-museen)
12. [Source](https://www.stadt-koeln.de/politik-und-verwaltung/presse/weiter-auf-erfolgskurs-besucherrekord-im-17-jahr-folge)
13. [Source](http://www.museenkoeln.de/Downloads/nsd/NS-DOK_JB-2019_web.pdf)
14. [NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln (@NSDOK) / Twitter](https://twitter.com/NSDOK)