In the 70th year of its existence, the Belgian House in Cologne, which opened in 1950, can look back on an eventful history: financed from dark sources, a gem of the early post-war years was created with an idiosyncratic architectural signature. Thanks to extensive restoration, the building has recently been shining in new splendor. Candida Höfer has visited the site several times and documented it in her impressive photographs. An essay by Marcus Trier is devoted to the history of the tradition-rich building.