Max Ernst's Birthplace

Max Ernst was born as the third child of Philipp and Luise (née Kopp) in this building on 2 April 1891. His father was a teacher at the school for the deaf-mute in Brühl, painted in his free time and taught his oldest son Max artistic techniques at an early age.

The two-and-a-half storey building was designed by the architect Mathias Erven and built in late classical style in 1885. Following the Second World War, ownership of the building was transferred to the Catholic parish of St. Maria von den Engeln and served as a parish house until 2002.

In 2008, a subsidiary company of the Provinzial Rheinland Versicherung AG acquired the building, which has had landmark status since 1985. With the help of the sponsorship of the Kultur- und Sozialstiftung der Provinzial Rheinland provided to the Max Ernst Foundation, the plans for the adjacent new building could be realised as a Fantasy Lab for the art education activities of the Max Ernst Museum Brühl of the LVR. Adjacent to this, the rooms on the first and second floors are reserved for the museum administration.

The various techniques developed by Max Ernst can be experimented with creatively in the Fantasy Lab. Various workshops take place here and add depth to the impressions won from the collection and the temporary exhibitions of the museum.