Cologne It is somewhat reminiscent of the arrival of new magic students at Hogwarts boarding school. Right at the beginning, each visitor is given a magic wand and immediately afterwards an introduction to how to use it. There is no need for a magic spell, the magic wand works at the push of a button that makes it glow. This means that traces of magic can be found and activated during the tour. The wands aren’t quite as powerful as those in Harry Potter, but they’re still fun to try out.
“Harry Potter – Visions of Magic” celebrates its world premiere this week at the Odysseum in Cologne. This Friday the adventure world around the famous magic student in Kalk opens its doors. Around 3,000 square meters are available for the tour. According to the organizers, the demand for the tickets is huge. December is already sold out. More than 130,000 tickets have already been sold.
While at the first Harry Potter exhibition it was the props and costumes from the Harry Potter films that thrilled fans, they now get an interactive experience in a magical world that they can immerse themselves in with their magic wand. Right at the start of the almost hour-long tour there is a bus ride, with the slanted double-decker appearing in the dark room as if from nowhere.
Inside, the fast-paced ride in the “Revenue Knight” continues; instead of seats, there are large beds for the passengers. From Grimmaultplatz with the large family tree of the Black wizard family and the magical paintings that fans already know from Hogwarts Castle, the path leads directly to the Ministry of Magic, the seat of government for the magical community of witches and wizards. Everywhere visitors can expand the experience a little with traces of magic – for example when they use the magic wand to set the stones on a wall in the ministry in motion.
Weiter geht es in die Halle der Prophezeiungen – eine geheime Kammer mit vielen Flüsterstimmen, wo die Vergangenheit auf die Gegenwart und die Zukunft trifft. Magisch ist auch Magisch ist auch Newts Menagerie. Wer dieser außergewöhnlichen Sammlung gegenübersteht, begegnet fantastischen Tierwesen wie Nifflern und Mondkälbern. Mit dem Zauberstab können hier Wesen aus den Eiern schlüpfen oder sich in Bewegung setzen.
Knockturn Alley is a dark side street of the legendary Diagon Alley, where in the films Harry, Hermione and Ron get the necessary equipment for their future wizarding lives. Here, too, you can use the magic wand to create magical effects and feel like the protagonists in the middle of the film. The Room of Wishes brings together strange objects that now need to be discovered. Here too, the magic wand helps before the big final show in the Pensieve.
“Harry Potter fans in Germany can experience something absolutely spectacular that they have never seen before in our iconic film series. “This experience draws on the best of art and technology and brings them together in a unique way,” enthuses Peter van Roden of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, the creator of the new show. 100 employees put together the show for around two months, and the actors James and Oliver Phelps, who played the roles of the twins Fred and George Weasley in the film, also traveled to Cologne for the preview.
Service: “Harry Potter – Visions of Magic” (recommended for children aged twelve and over) until June 2, 2024 at the Odysseum, Corintostraße 1. Tickets are available for children from 20.90 euros and for adults from 26.90 euros at: