Museum Schnütgen
Municipal medieval art museum in Cologne housed in the 12th-century Romanesque St. Cäcilien church, housing the Alexander Schnütgen collection of sculptures, stained glass, and goldsmith works, serving the general public, school groups, scholarly researchers, and a 70-year-old Freundeskreis patron community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1906
- HeadquartersKöln, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Museum Schnütgen does
Museum Schnütgen is a municipal medieval art museum operated by the City of Cologne (Stadt Köln), housed in the 12th-century Romanesque St. Cäcilien church in Cologne's Neumarkt cultural quarter. The collection was assembled primarily by Canon Alexander Schnütgen (1843-1918) and gifted to the city in 1906; the museum opened in 1910 and has since operated continuously, including wartime collection preservation, post-war reopening in 1956, relocation to its current shared facility with Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in 2010, and leadership transition to Dr. Moritz Woelk in 2012. Core offerings include the permanent Sammlungspräsentation (wood and stone sculptures, goldsmith works, stained glass, ivories, textiles) and rotating special exhibitions, currently 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten' featuring stained glass from the Khanenko Museum in Kyiv.
Underlying technology is a digital collection platform ('Sammlung Digital') comprising a 360° virtual tour, digitized manuscripts and early printed books (in cooperation with the Erzbischöfliche Diözesan- und Dombibliothek Köln), digitized 1924/25 inventory books (via Universititätsbibliothek Heidelberg), themed 'Paths Through the Collection' organized by century, material, and function, and multimedia audio/video guides. A research library of approximately 35,000 volumes supports scholarly access.
The business model is a hybrid municipal/non-profit revenue structure. Direct revenue streams include ticket sales (€6 regular / €3.50 reduced special exhibition; €10 / €7 combo with Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum; €3.50 group rate), shop and café operations, Freundeskreis membership dues across five tiers (Youth free, Student €19, Regular €50, Corporate €250, Curator €500), and grants/sponsorships from approximately 13 foundations and corporate partners including Rhein Energie, Peter und Irene Ludwig Stiftung, Kulturstiftung der Länder, Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, and Sparkasse Köln Bonn. Distribution combines on-site visitation at Cäcilienstraße 29-33, the Museumsdienst Köln booking system for group and educational programs, combined ticketing with Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, and a 360° virtual tour plus digitized collections for remote access. Customer segments span the general public, school groups, member patrons, and academic/research users.
Museum Schnütgen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Museum Schnütgen
- Legal name
- Museum Schnütgen, eine Einrichtung der Stadt Köln
- Website
- https://museum-schnuetgen.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1906
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Municipal medieval art museum in Cologne housed in the 12th-century Romanesque St. Cäcilien church, housing the Alexander Schnütgen collection of sculptures, stained glass, and goldsmith works, serving the general public, school groups, scholarly researchers, and a 70-year-old Freundeskreis patron community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Museum Schnütgen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Museum
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)
Keywords
Where Museum Schnütgen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Köln
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Museum Schnütgen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales (Museum Admission): Revenue from single tickets for special exhibitions (€6 regular / €3.50 reduced) and combination tickets with Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (€10 / €7). Group tickets available from 10 persons at €3.50 per person. Free entry for children under 6, school pupils, trainees, Cologne residents under 18, Köln-Pass holders, and Freundeskreis members.
- Museum Shop and Café Revenue: The museum operates a jointly-run shop (Betrieb gemeinsam von den Freundeskreisen beider Museen, der Museumsgesellschaft RJM und dem Freundeskreis Museum Schnütgen) and café, open to visitors and generating ancillary revenue.
- Freundeskreis Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from the Freundeskreis Museum Schnütgen e.V. — Youth membership free (under 21), Student/Azubi €19, Regular €50, Corporate €250, Curator €500. Members receive free entry to all exhibitions, exclusive tours, lectures, and excursions.
- Foundation and Corporate Sponsorship: Ongoing financial support from foundations and corporate sponsors (Rhein Energie, Peter und Irene Ludwig Stiftung, Kulturstiftung der Länder, Kölner Kulturstiftung der Kreissparkasse Köln, Sparkasse Kulturstiftung Rheinland, Sparkasse Köln Bonn, Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, Kunst NRW, Renate König Stiftung, Annemarie und Helmut Börner Stiftung, Dr Hans und Annemarie Kauth Stiftung, Rudolf August Oetker Stiftung, Irene und Sigurd Greve Stiftung, Ministerium für Familie NRW) for acquisitions, special exhibitions, events, restorations, and publications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Ticket Special Exhibition (includes permanent collection) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Combination Ticket (Museum Schnütgen + Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Group Ticket (ab 10 persons) |
| Subscription | Annual | Freundeskreis Annual Membership — Youth (up to 21 years) |
| Subscription | Annual | Freundeskreis Annual Membership — Student / Trainee |
| Subscription | Annual | Freundeskreis Annual Membership — Regular |
| Subscription | Annual | Freundeskreis Annual Membership — Corporate |
| Subscription | Annual | Freundeskreis Annual Membership — Curator |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Museum Schnütgen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Museum Schnütgen is a municipal art museum in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to medieval art. It is housed in the Romanesque St. Cäcilien church (12th century) and presents a permanent collection of medieval sculptures, goldsmith works, stained glass, ivories, and textiles, supplemented by temporary special exhibitions, educational programming, and a museum shop and café.
Product overview
Museum Schnütgen is a medieval art museum in Cologne, Germany, housed in the Romanesque St. Cäcilien church. The museum offers a core experience centered on its permanent collection presentation featuring medieval sculptures, goldsmith works, stained glass, ivories, and textiles. Digital access is provided through the 'Sammlung Digital' platform comprising the 360°-Rundgang (virtual tour), digitized manuscripts, digitized inventory books, and themed pathways through the collection. Additional services include an event calendar with guided tours, concerts, and lectures, bookable educational programs, a research library of approximately 35,000 volumes, and museum publications. Special exhibitions complement the permanent collection, with current focus on 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten' featuring medieval stained glass from Ukraine.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Permanent Collection Exhibition
- Special Temporary Exhibitions
- Educational and Public Programs
- Freundeskreis Museum Schnütgen Membership
- Museum Shop
- Museum Café
Quantifiable outcome
- The 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten' exhibition presents 30 stained glass works — the entire collection of the Khanenko Museum — outside Ukraine for the first time.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Museum Schnütgen
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Museum Schnütgen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Museum Schnütgen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters (European Network of Museums of Medieval Art)coreThe museum is a founding member of this European network alongside the Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Florence), Musée de Cluny (Paris), and Museu Episcopal de Vic (Catalonia), established in 2011 to jointly develop projects sharing the beauty and European significance of medieval cultural heritage. The network has since expanded to include Museum Catharijneconvent (Utrecht), Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp), Palazzo Madama (Turin), and Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (Strasbourg). Joint projects include 'Reisen im Mittelalter' (Paris-Florence-Vic, 2014-2016) and 'Die Heiligen Drei Könige' (Cologne, 2014-2015).
- Khanenko Nationalmuseum der Künste, Kyjiw (Kyiv, Ukraine)coreThe Khanenko Museum in Kyiv loaned its entire collection of 12 medieval stained glass works to Museum Schnütgen for the special exhibition 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten' — the first time these works have been shown outside Ukraine. The loan responds to the threat posed by the Russian war on Ukraine since 2022. After the exhibition, the Ukrainian pieces will undergo conservation and restoration funded through the UKRAINE-Förderlinie of the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung.
- Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi Deutschland (Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz)coreExpert team of the Corpus Vitrearum Deutschland secured and packed the Khanenko Museum's stained glass collection in Ukraine prior to its transport to Cologne, as part of the international conservation effort for 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten.' The museum's exhibition project also encompasses the scholarly digitization of the Kyiv stained glass collection in a digital publication.
- Glasrestaurierungswerkstatt der Kölner Dombauhütte (Stained Glass Conservation Workshop of Cologne Cathedral Workshop)coreThe stained glass conservation workshop of the Cologne Cathedral Workshop carried out the conservatory preparation of the Khanenko Museum's stained glass collection for display in the 'Licht in dunklen Zeiten' exhibition.
- Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Florence, Italy)coreFounding partner of the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters with Museum Schnütgen. Collaborates on joint exhibition projects and knowledge-sharing about medieval art.
- Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge (Paris, France)coreFounding partner of the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters with Museum Schnütgen.
- Museu Episcopal de Vic (Catalonia, Spain)coreFounding partner of the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters with Museum Schnütgen.
- Museum Catharijneconvent (Utrecht, Netherlands)minorJoined the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters alongside Museum Schnütgen after the initial 2011 founding.
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp, Belgium)minorJoined the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters alongside Museum Schnütgen after the initial founding.
- Palazzo Madama (Turin, Italy)minorJoined the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters alongside Museum Schnütgen after the initial founding.
- Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (Strasbourg, France)minorJoined the Europäisches Netzwerk Museen der Kunst des Mittelalters alongside Museum Schnütgen after the initial founding.
- Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (Heidelberg University Library)coreDigitized inventory books of Museum Schnütgen (from 1924/25) are hosted via the Heidelberg Accession Index portal in cooperation with Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, providing online scholarly access to collection records.
- Erzbischöfliche Diözesan- und Dombibliothek Köln (Archdiocesan and Cathedral Library Cologne)coreCooperation partner for digitizing manuscripts and early printed books from the museum's collection, making them accessible through the digital collection portal (digital.dombibliothek-koeln.de/schnuetgen/).
- WDR3 (Westdeutscher Rundfunk)minorCultural partnership with WDR3, providing broadcast media coverage and cultural credibility as a recognized cultural media partner.
- Kölner Dombauhütte (Cologne Cathedral Workshop)minorRestoration and conservation of key collection objects, including glass malerei and stone sculptures, using the specialized expertise of the Cologne Cathedral Workshop.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Museum Schnütgen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Germanisches Nationalmuseum: Nuremberg-based encyclopedic museum of German cultural history with a deep medieval art and craft collection (paintings, sculptures, textiles, decorative arts). Largest comparable medieval-focused collection in Germany and a direct competitor for the same specialist visitor base.
- Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame: Strasbourg museum dedicated to medieval and Renaissance art from the Upper Rhine region, with notable stained glass and sculpture. Member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums and a closely matched medieval art peer.
- Museum Catharijneconvent: Utrecht museum of religious art and medieval Christian heritage housed in a former convent, featuring medieval sculpture, stained glass, and liturgical objects. Member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums and directly comparable in thematic scope and operational model.
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh: Antwerp-based museum housing the collection of Fritz Mayer van den Bergh, focused on Flemish medieval and Renaissance art (paintings, sculptures, tapestries). Member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums; comparable scale and curatorial focus.
- Museu Episcopal de Vic: Catalan museum in Vic focused on medieval liturgical art, Romanesque sculpture, and religious metalwork. Co-founding member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums; comparable size, mission, and visitor profile.
- Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum: Cologne museum of non-European cultures sharing the same Kulturquartier am Neumarkt building since 2010 with a combined ticket offering. Closest co-located operational peer, sharing visitors, retail operations, and ticketing infrastructure.
- Museo Nazionale del Bargello: Florence-based national museum housing Renaissance and medieval sculpture, decorative arts, and applied arts in a historic palace setting. Co-founding member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums and a directly comparable medieval art institution with shared institutional profile.
- Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge: Paris-based national museum of the Middle Ages with a comparable medieval art collection (including stained glass, sculptures, goldsmith works). Founding partner of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums alongside Museum Schnütgen — the most directly comparable peer.
- Palazzo Madama – Museo Civico d'Arte Antica: Turin's civic museum of medieval art housed in a medieval palace, with collections spanning sculpture, paintings, and decorative arts from the Middle Ages. Member of the European Network of Medieval Art Museums and a directly comparable medieval art institution.
Emerging players
- Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt: Darmstadt state museum with art and cultural history collections including medieval holdings; explicitly named as a reciprocal free-entry partner for Freundeskreis members of Museum Schnütgen. Comparable in scale and mission as a regional German museum with medieval collections.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Museum Schnütgen social profiles
Digital presenceMuseum Schnütgen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Museum Schnütgen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Museum Schnütgen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Museum Schnütgen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Museum Schnütgen
What does Museum Schnütgen do?
Museum Schnütgen is a municipal art museum in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to medieval art. It is housed in the Romanesque St. Cäcilien church (12th century) and presents a permanent collection of medieval sculptures, goldsmith works, stained glass, ivories, and textiles, supplemented by temporary special exhibitions, educational programming, and a museum shop and café.
Is Museum Schnütgen a public or private company?
Museum Schnütgen is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Museum Schnütgen founded?
Museum Schnütgen was founded in 1906. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Museum Schnütgen based?
Museum Schnütgen is headquartered in Köln, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Museum Schnütgen make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales (Museum Admission) is the primary driver. The others are museum Shop and Café Revenue, freundeskreis Membership Dues and foundation and Corporate Sponsorship.
Who are Museum Schnütgen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame, Museum Catharijneconvent, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Museu Episcopal de Vic, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge and Palazzo Madama – Museo Civico d'Arte Antica. Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt is listed as an emerging player.
Does Museum Schnütgen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Museum Schnütgen.
What industry is Museum Schnütgen in?
Museum Schnütgen's product category is Cultural Museum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAA, Art Museums, with a secondary code of THAJADAI, Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations). Its NAICS code is 7121.