Why Cologne?

"Et bliev nix wie et wor!" - "Nothing stays the same!" is one of Cologne's eleven commandments and sums up the city’s constant transformation. As the largest center for education and research in western Germany, Cologne uniquely combines science, art, and culture. Literary cafés, theaters, art-house cinemas, museums, and numerous festivals shape the city’s cultural life and offer a wide range of points of reference for the study of comparative literature. As an international hub for artists and scholars, the city provides ideal conditions for engaging with world literatures and their media and cultural interconnections.

With publishing houses, literary centers, theaters, and numerous film and television productions, Cologne offers an attractive environment for students of Comparative Literature. In addition, major media companies make the city a key hub in the German media landscape and open up a wide range of career opportunities.

The University of Cologne also offers a diverse cultural program and numerous opportunities to get involved creatively. Whether it’s radio, music, film, or theater—students can experience cultural projects, help shape them, and bring their own ideas to life. The Studiobühne’s productions also attract significant attention beyond the university.

The master’s program maintains close ties with the city’s cultural institutions. Field trips, workshops, and discussions with experts directly integrate institutions such as the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum and the DOMiD (Documentation Center and Museum on Migration in Germany, e. V.) into the curriculum. For their studies and research, students have access to the libraries of the Faculty of Arts as well as the Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln (Cologne University and City Library) with its extensive collections and digital resources.