Cologne remembrance centre temporarily closed after attack
The NS-Dokumentationszentrum expects to reopen on Tuesday after unknown individuals contaminated its entrances with a strong-smelling liquid.
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The NS-Dokumentationszentrum in Cologne will remain closed up to and including Monday after an attack overnight into Friday. Police are investigating a possible political connection; who was responsible and what the motive was remain unknown.
The city of Cologne announced on Friday afternoon that extensive cleaning was needed at the museum and memorial to victims of National Socialism. Reopening is scheduled for Tuesday 20 October. Unknown individuals had poured a strong-smelling liquid at the entrances. The city has reported the incident to the police. The attack thus has a direct impact on public access to the institution: visitors cannot enter the building for the time being.
According to regional broadcaster WDR, staff alerted the police on Friday morning after noticing the smell. The contamination affected all three entrances. Police suspect that butyric acid was used. Because a political connection is possible, the investigation is being handled by the Staatsschutz, the police department responsible for, among other things, politically motivated crime. This does not establish the motive.
The centre is housed in the EL-DE-Haus in Cologne city centre. The building was the Gestapo's headquarters in the city. Today, the history of National Socialism and the experiences of persecuted people are researched there and made accessible to the public. Its historical role means that the building itself is also part of the collection: it is not solely a building in which exhibitions are held.
The NS-Dokumentationszentrum describes its mission as a combination of remembrance, collecting, research and education. It preserves documents, photographs, objects and life stories from the Nazi era. Visitors can view exhibitions, and researchers can use a public library. The institution also organises guided tours, both in the building and around the city. The temporary closure therefore affects a place with several public functions.
Its educational activities also address the significance of that history for society today. The centre offers workshops on subjects including racism, antisemitism and the far right. On its website, it emphasises a particular responsibility towards victims of Nazi persecution and their loved ones. This description of its own mission explains why the centre presents itself as more than a historical museum: research and remembrance are linked to civic education.
Mayor Torsten Burmester condemned the attack and linked it to the importance of the culture of remembrance for the city, WDR reports. Director Henning Borggräfe also described it as a targeted attack on the memorial, while explicitly stating that he did not want to prejudge the police investigation. Those characterisations are responses from officials and those involved. They do not in themselves provide evidence about the identity or beliefs of the perpetrators.
For now, the practical consequences are clearer than the background to the act. The city has announced a closure period and an intended reopening date; the investigation must establish who deposited the liquid and why. The available reports provide no basis for holding a political organisation or specific group responsible. For visitors, Tuesday is the announced date on which the museum and memorial are expected to be accessible again.
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The city's statement and WDR confirm the incident and the closure on 16 October. Historical and educational background comes from the centre itself; suspicions about the substance and motive remain clearly identified as uncertain.
- confirmed Unknown individuals contaminated the centre's entrances overnight into Friday. — The city describes the incident in its statement of Friday 16 October. source
- confirmed The centre will remain closed up to and including 19 October and expects to reopen on 20 October. — This is the announced schedule, not a guarantee that reopening has already taken place. source
- confirmed The city has reported the incident to the police. — Explicitly stated in the city's publication. source
- confirmed All three entrances were affected, and the Staatsschutz is investigating the case. — WDR reports both points based on information from the police and the city. source
- uncertain The liquid used was butyric acid. — WDR presents this as a police suspicion; the article does the same. source
- confirmed The EL-DE-Haus was a Gestapo headquarters and now houses the documentation centre. — The institution describes the history of its own building. source
- confirmed The centre conducts research, collects historical sources and offers exhibitions, a library, guided tours and workshops. — These functions and activities are listed on its own website. source
- confirmed Burmester and Borggräfe condemned the attack. — WDR publishes their responses; the article does not adopt their interpretation as a finding of the investigation. source
Editor's note
The attack, the report to police and the planned duration of the closure have been confirmed. Butyric acid is a police suspicion; the perpetrators and motive are unknown. No perspectives section has been added because the sources do not show a relevant dispute over a specific policy choice.Sources
- NS-Dokumentationszentrum öffnet am 20. Oktober wieder — Stadt Köln
- Angriff auf NS-Dokumentationszentrum in Köln — WDR
- NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln: opdracht, geschiedenis en aanbod — NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „keulen duitsland”
- NU.nl — „keulen duitsland”
- De Telegraaf — „keulen duitsland”