Brauerei-Museum Dortmund

About the museum

The collection goes back to a teaching collection founded in 1981, which was on display from 1982 on the grounds of the private brewery Dortmunder Kronen. After the brewery was sold to the Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei, this site closed in 2000. Since 2006 the museum has had its permanent home in the machine house of the former Hansa brewery in northern Dortmund. The operator is the City of Dortmund, supported by a patrons' society active since 1982 that collects brewing-related objects.

The most impressive exhibit is the building itself: the Dortmund architect and engineer Emil Moog built the machine house in 1912 as a power plant with steam and refrigeration machines. Together with the neighboring brewhouse, it is one of the last witnesses to large-scale industrial beer production in Dortmund before World War I. It is complemented by a machine hall from 1968; both buildings are listed.

In four sections, the permanent exhibition tells the story of brewing technology since the Middle Ages, the many Dortmund breweries, and the heyday of the beer city in the 1950s and 1960s, when beer shaped the city alongside coal and steel. On view are advertising items, bottling plants, relics from the brewhouse and storage cellar, and historic transport vehicles such as a Krupp truck.

Highlights

• Listed machine house of the Hansa brewery from 1912
• History of the many Dortmund breweries and of the beer city's heyday
• Historic Krupp truck for transporting beer
• Bottling plants, advertising items and relics from the brewhouse and storage cellar
• Guided tours with beer tasting in the historic brewhouse

Permanent exhibitions

• Dauerausstellung zur Dortmunder Biergeschichte – Four sections on brewing technology, Dortmund breweries, and the connection between beer, city life and industry – presented in the historic machine house of the Hansa brewery.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Stadt Dortmund

Director

Svenja Lehnhardt (in Vertretung)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the permanent and special exhibitions. Workshop "The Biology of Beer" for school classes: €75 per group (up to 25 people) plus €1.50 for materials per person.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Only partially accessible: An elevator connects both exhibition floors, but some areas cannot be reached. Folding stools and benches throughout the museum.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops: not available
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide: not available

The website lists no family or children's activities; the only school program (workshop "The Biology of Beer") is aimed at grades 8 to 13.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi: not available

Lockers with a €1 or €2 coin; jackets and small bags may be taken into the exhibition. Food and drinks brought from outside may not be consumed in the museum. The website gives no usable information about a café or restaurant.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit