peter zumthor's kolumba museum in cologne photographed by rasmus hjortshøj

danish photographer rasmus hjortshøj has shared new images of peter zumthor’s ‘kolumba’ museum in cologne. located at the heart of the german city, the institution was founded by the society for christian art in 1853, and was taken over by the archdiocese of cologne in 1989. in 2007, zumthor’s expanded museum moved to the site of the former st. columba church, which was destroyed during the second world war.

all images © rasmus hjortshøj – COAST

zumthor clad the museum’s new home, which took four years to complete, with a perforated grey brick façade that embraces and unites the site’s historic elements. hjortshøj’s photos offer a tour of zumthor’s design as it celebrates its tenth anniversary. internally, 16 exhibtion rooms provide diverse gallery spaces, with a range of materials — including limestone, terrazzo, and steel — used to complement the existing ruins.

conceived as an ‘uncensored memory landscape’, kolumba’s largest space encompasses the site’s subterranean ruins which date back thousands of years. here, perforations in the walls filter in light and air, while slim columns support the new roof. zumthor’s design adopts the outline of the former church building, and was conceived as a continuation of what was previously on the plot. intended to be a place of reflection, a secluded garden amid the stone ruins is found at the rear of the site, appearing as a dense archaeological landscape.

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