General

Cologne’s Jewish History – An Immersive Audio Walk

The audio walk is based on Jewish sources, such as the writings of the chronicler Salomo bar Simeon and interviews with eyewitnesses and historians, which provide valuable insights into the lives of Cologne’s Jewish community across the centuries of the city’s history. Junges Theater Köln weaves these collected memories and eyewitness accounts into a two-part performance set against the original locations within Cologne’s contemporary urban landscape.

Photos: Polina Kluss

Day 1: Roman age until Middle Ages

In the first part, the audience moves through Cologne’s old town alongside the performers – the ‘citizens of the city’ – and musician Matthias Bernhold. In the process, the old town itself becomes a stage.

In the former Jewish quarter, the present and the past intertwine through augmented reality. This allows visitors to experience past ways of life – from the first recorded mention of a Jewish community north of the Alps in antiquity to the expulsion of the Jewish community from Cologne in 1424 – in contemporary settings.

Day 2: 1870s until National Socialism and Present

The second part of the performative audio walk shifts the focus to the 20th century. In the Belgian Quarter, the story of the Löwenstein family from Cologne is told for the first time from the perspective of a descendant. To this end, Svetlana Fourer and her team conducted interviews with Mary Beer, the daughter of Shoah survivor Trude Löwenstein, in which she shares her personal memories.

In addition, youth groups have set archive material – such as letters from family members – to music to create an audio collage. This creates a fragmentary yet immediate sense of closeness to the Löwenstein family, in which memory becomes tangible and present.

Cologne’s Jewish History – Day 1
Starting point: In front of Wallraf-Richartz-Museum

Premiere: Saturday, 5 Sept 2026, 7 pm
More dates
Sunday, 6 Sept 2026, 6 pm
Tuesday, 13 Oct 2026, 7 pm
Wednesday, 14 Oct 2026, 7 pm

Artistic director, director: Svetlana Fourer
Dramaturgy: Svetlana Fourer, Henning Bochert, Joalia Nebifeh
Cast: Yaroslava Gorobey, Raffael Guerreiro, Carsten Kugele, Nina Rinke, Oleksandra Sahach, Hannah Scholz, Elias Semenov
Voices: Matthias Bernhold, Yaroslava Gorobey, Raffael Guerreiro, Imi Paulus, Hannah Scholz, Carsten Kugele, Nina Rinke
Composition, Audio: Matthias Bernhold
Choreography: Ilona Pászthy
Augmented reality and animation: Saeyun Jung, VAMOS Animation
Video: Lisa Domin-Alouane
Costume design: Hannah Beeck
Sound, technical support: Daniel Swoboda
Theatre pedagogy: Nina Rinke
Production management, assistant director: Regina Bensch
Controlling, director young groups: Olga Moldaver