A life for the museum: Munich mourns – Gudrun Köhl died at the age of 79
Created: 01/10/2023, 20:30
Köhl and Karl Valentin: But she also fought for an appreciation of Liesl Karlstadt in the museum.
© Klaus Haag
Karl Valentin's memory at the Isartor: longtime boss Gudrun Köhl dies at the age of 79.
A look back at the life of the Munich institution.
Munich – There she stands, happily stretching her arms in the air, holding the yellow entrance sign at the Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum: Gudrun Köhl dedicated a good part of her life to the legendary Munich comedian and his partner.
Many people know Köhl as the former head of the Musäum im Isartor, which she headed for 15 years.
Now she died after a serious illness on New Year's Day, shortly before her 80th birthday.
The city mourns the loss of an open-minded woman with many interests - and a great passion.
In the Munich Merkur, companions remember.
For decades, Gudrun Köhl took care of the legacy of the well-known comedian duo Karl Valentin and Liesl Karlstadt.
© Klaus Haag
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“She was a doer”: The Musäum was not Köhl's original life plan
Köhl was born in Garching an der Alz (district of Altötting) in 1943.
Shortly thereafter her father died in the war and her family didn't have much money.
Liesl Karlstadt also grew up in poverty, which is perhaps why Köhl felt so close to her, says Sabine Rinberger, who replaced Köhl as museum director in 2004.
"I appreciated her boldness.
She was a doer.”
Köhl originally had a completely different life plan.
As a nun, she wanted to go to Africa, but changed her mind at the last second.
Then she studied art to become a teacher and met Hannes König, the inventor of the Valentin Museum.
The two became a couple and worked together.
Köhl was also landlady in the tower room above the exhibition - and after King's death in 1989 then head of the museum.
The Museum
The Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum is housed in the two side towers of the Isartor.
It was founded on September 17, 1959 as the Valentin Museum.
The painter Hannes König originally installed it on his own initiative in the Isartor south tower, which was destroyed in the war and only provisionally rebuilt.
For this he received financial support from artist friends and citizens of Munich.
Since the opening of the Liesl-Karlstadt-Kabinett in 2001, the Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum has borne the names of both artists.
The exhibition is also dedicated to Munich folk singers.
Recently, the modernization of the museum was discussed because the building no longer meets the requirements for fire protection and accessibility.
(rmi)
The Isartor has been home to the Valentin Karlstadt Museum since 1959.
© Markus Goetzfried
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"An institution": moving memories of a Munich icon
Wolfgang Roucka, the Schwabing poster king, also got to know her through art.
"She wasn't a person, more of an institution," he says.
Roucka valued her for her enormous commitment to the Musäum, for profound discussions, and her lovable and open manner. Of course, Köhl's directness was not well received by everyone, reports Rinberger.
"But she had to earn her recognition - especially in the very male-dominated world of the past."
Köhl fought for equal rights and for Liesl Karlstadt to be honored in the museum.
Because at first the focus was mainly on Valentin.
In 2003, she was honored for her work with the “Munich shines” award.
Now she is returning home after her busy life.
She will be buried in her birthplace next week.
(Regina Mittermeier)
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