The university's collection of Greek and Roman antiquities in the Alte Nikolaischule, featuring painted vases, marble sculptures, and small-scale art.
From October 7, 2025
In the plaster cast collection on Dittrichring, the restored cast of the roughly four-meter-tall ancient group, once broken down into more than 50 pieces, is presented alongside a digital 3D model. On view Wednesdays 15:00–18:00.
The collection's roots go back to the 18th century: as early as 1734, Leipzig professor Johann Friedrich Christ used ancient objects as teaching aids in his lectures. The Antikenmuseum has existed as the university's own teaching and display collection since 1840; at first, it consisted mainly of coins, engraved gems, and plaster casts.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the holdings grew considerably through purchases and donations – including Greek and Etruscan vases, the Friedrich Hauser collection (1897), and some 800 objects donated by Edward Perry Warren and John Marshall between 1901 and 1911, among them a marble head of Alexander the Great. The archaeologist Franz Studniczka played a key role in shaping the museum's profile. Today, the collection comprises around 10,000 originals made of clay, stone, bronze, and glass and ranks among the most important collections of antiquities at German universities.
Since 1994, the permanent exhibition has been on display on the second floor of the Alte Nikolaischule on Nikolaikirchhof. The roughly 800 historic plaster casts suffered heavy losses during World War II and through decades of poor storage; since March 2024, they have been regularly open to the public again for the first time since 1968, in the storage facility on Dittrichring. The museum is currently modernizing its permanent exhibition, now about 30 years old, step by step.
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2School students, university students, apprentices, people with severe disabilities, seniors, holders of the LEIPZIG CARD or LEIPZIG Regio CARD |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 6 · Children up to age 6 free; after that, the reduced student rate applies. |
| Seniors | €2 |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2Reduced admission for people with severe disabilities |
| Students & apprentices | €2 |
Free admission: Free admission for everyone on the first Wednesday of every month
Free admission with proof for groups including members of Leipzig University, members of the Deutscher Archäologen-Verband, the Deutscher Museumsbund, and ICOM, ISIC holders, and refugees. Plaster cast collection: free admission.
Elevator to the exhibition rooms and restrooms. The program “Antike ohne Grenzen” (Antiquity Without Limits) offers touch, smell, and listening stations (“Zum Greifen nah”) for blind and visually impaired visitors; gallery attendants provide assistance on site.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
Discovery tours for families and children's birthdays centered on antiquity; programs can be booked through the museum education department.
S-Bahn S1–S5 to Markt; tram lines 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 to Augustusplatz; bus 89. A few minutes' walk from the main train station.
Parking available · 5-min walk to the entrance
No parking of its own (pedestrian zone). Parking garages at Augustusplatz and at Marktgalerie (each approx. 5 minutes' walk) and at Brühl (approx. 10 minutes' walk).
The museum is located in the pedestrian zone.
Get directionsMuseum shop with catalogs, plaster replicas and souvenirs. The restaurant "Reinhardts" is located in the building (Tue–Sat 12:00–22:00).
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public tours on changing topics on the first Sunday of the month, included in admission. Tours and projects for school classes (2 hours or a full morning). Online: 3D models, audio contributions and a collections database. |
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