COLOGNE.- A new exhibition, "73 Years of Stoff-Pavillon Moeller," opens today to commemorate a remarkable chapter in Cologne’s history, focusing on the city's post-World War II reconstruction and the architect who helped shape it. The exhibition, running from September 12 to 28, 2025, is part of the annual Day of the Open Monument.

The centerpiece of the show is the work of architect Wilhelm Riphahn and his iconic Stoff-Pavillon, which was inaugurated on September 6, 1952. The exhibition highlights Riphahn's influential role in rebuilding a city that lay in ruins. His designs, characterized by open floor plans, transparent facades, and light-filled spaces, were more than just functional buildings. They were a conscious statement of a new, democratic society.

The exhibition, titled "Karl Hugo Schmölz: Destruction and Awakening – Cologne's Rebirth Through Wilhelm Riphahn," features Schmölz’s historical photographs of the city’s destruction and images of the new constructions in the 1950s. The show specifically focuses on Hahnenstraße, a street that was almost completely destroyed and then became a showcase for architectural renewal.

"Cities are not only built, but lived in," the exhibition text states, explaining Riphahn’s vision. "Spaces should enable encounters, promote transparency, strengthen community."

The exhibition serves as a tribute to the architects who rebuilt the city with a sense of courage and a forward-looking vision. It also invites visitors to reflect on the post-war architectural legacy and consider its future.

The exhibition is open to the public at the Stoff-Pavillon Moeller from September 12 to September 28, 2025.