Intercultural centers
Places of encounter, education and multilingualism
The tasks of the Municipal Integration Center include coordinating the intercultural centers in Cologne and promoting their visibility, quality, cooperation and networking. There are currently 44 recognized institutions (as of 2025) that offer a wide range of services such as advice, education, language and cultural support as well as support for all generations. They are places of encounter, empowerment and engagement.
The Intercultural Centers are committed to combating racism and discrimination.
The centers have different organizational structures and competencies, working methods and approaches, with which they make a significant contribution to the professional quality of social work, youth work, educational work and the debate on racism in the city of Cologne. A unique feature of the Cologne Intercultural Centers Association is its multilingualism. Its staff and volunteers speak over 43 languages.
Intercultural centers also organize a wide range of offers and projects, such as
- Social counseling
- extracurricular educational programs
- Professional orientation and support
- German language support and language of origin services
- Information events
- Leisure and cultural activities
- specialist political events
Working group of the Intercultural Centers
The intercultural centers meet four times a year to exchange information and coordinate joint activities. Joint public relations work, projects and further training for professional development are discussed. Working groups are also formed on individual topics. The working group is prepared together with the spokespersons of the intercultural centers.
The Intercultural Centers have their own website:
Further information on the requirements, the recognition procedure and funding can be found on the city administration's homepage:
Intercultural Centers - City of Cologne
Activities in 2026
Cultural Intercultural Centers Bus Tour 2026
On October 1, 2026, the Intercultural Centers organized another bus tour. Under the motto „Where democracy is at home – Cologne on the road: Cityscapes, Diversity, Solidarity“ Various intercultural centers were visited. At each of the stations, the participants discussed social cohesion and highlighted the important work the centers perform daily, which serves to bring diversity to everyday life in open spaces of encounter.
Among the participants were people from various Cologne organizations, politics, the press, and the city administration.
An article about the bus tour has also been published in the Cologne City Guide:
Cologne: Bus tour informs about the work of intercultural centers | Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
Activities 2025
Cologne Prevention and Health Day - Intercultural centers working with senior citizens present their work
Information event on the 2025 Bundestag elections - panel discussion with representatives of democratic parties on 06.02.2025
Activities 2024
Bus tour
As part of the project „VielfaltStärken: Together against racism and poverty“, the Intercultural Centres in Cologne organized a bus tour of Cologne's districts on the right bank of the Rhine on 19.09.2024, in which people from administration, politics, the press, initiatives and other organizations took part and gained an overview of the centers' activities.
Visit to the state parliament
Guided tour of the NRW state parliament and discussion with the Vice-President of the state parliament Berivan Aymaz
Stand of the Intercultural Centers at the Cologne Volunteer Day 2024
Commemoration & cultural festival "BiRLiKTE"
Commemoration and cultural festival „BiRLiKTE“ on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the right-wing terrorist attack on Keupstraße
World Roma Day in Cologne
April 8 is celebrated worldwide as the official day of Rom:nja.
Activities 2023
Trip to Brussels by the Intercultural Centers
Representatives of the Intercultural Centres travel to Brussels at the invitation of MEP Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana to visit the European Parliament.
Event for the International Mother Language Day
