About Us / History

lit.COLOGNE has been recognised with numerous awards:

In 2006, it was entered in the Guinness World Records for the world’s largest German class, held in the sold-out Lanxess-Arena.

In 2010 and 2013, lit.COLOGNE won the Cologne Culture Prize for the best cultural event of the year 2009 and 2012.

In 2012, it was awarded the “Germany at Its Best Prize” of the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Industry of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia for becoming Europe’s largest literature festival.

In 2013, lit.COLOGNE was presented with the “Ohrenorden der Bürgerschaft Köln”.

Also in 2013, the festival received a commendation from the City of Cologne in connection with the Cologne Innovation Prize for Disability Policy for its efforts to make the literature festival barrier-free.

In 2016, lit.COLOGNE won the Cologne Culture Prize for the best cultural event of the year 2015.