The first permanent company in the city was established in 1822, and performed primarily in the Theater an der Schmierstraße (built in 1783 as a private theatre and also used for plays and concerts).

The Theater am Habsburger Ring was constructed by the city of Cologne and became its first theatre to be specifically designed as an opera house.

It is part of an arts complex on Offenbachplatz[2] which includes the Schauspiel Köln (Cologne Playhouse), also designed by Wilhelm Riphahn and built in 1962.

Performance venues have included a converted factory ("Palladium"), a large tent on the Rhein ("Musical-Dom"), a turn-of-the-century courthouse ("Amtsgericht"), and an old exhibition hall ("Staatenhaus").

[3] In 1904 the company came under the management of the city and took the name Oper der Stadt Köln, performing exclusively at the Theater am Habsburger Ring from 1906 until World War II, when it was badly damaged by allied bombs.

The company performs approximately 25 different operas on the main stage during its regular season which runs from September to June.

Starting in September 2021, an artistically designed "children's opera" light rail of the Cologne Transport Authority (KVB) will run on five inner-city lines for two years to mark the 25th anniversary.