Couven-Museum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Museum of Aachen Domestic Culture was founded in 1929 in Haus Fey and re-established after the destruction of World War II. Its current home on Hühnermarkt goes back to the pharmacist Adam Coebergh, who built a house here from 1662 onward, along with the Adler-Apotheke (Eagle Pharmacy).

After Andreas Monheim took over the house and pharmacy in 1783, he had the building remodeled in 1786 by the Aachen master builder Jakob Couven, son of the well-known architect Johann Joseph Couven. Haus Monheim remained in the family until 1939 and is the only building by Jakob Couven to have survived the war. The City of Aachen acquired it in 1951, and in 1958 the Couven Museum, named after the master builder, opened here; in 1961 the neighboring house “Zum Lindenbaum” was added.

The rooms are furnished as ensembles and lead through the style periods from Rococo via Directoire and Empire to Biedermeier: the fireplace room with a stucco fireplace from 1778, the Green Salon, the ballroom, the music room, the kitchen and the reconstructed pharmacy. The tile room displays around 6,000 faience tiles from the collection of Peter and Irene Ludwig.

Following restorations around 2000 and further renovation work, the museum most recently reopened in 2019. It is part of the City of Aachen's Route Charlemagne and also presents special and small-scale exhibitions on decorative arts and everyday culture.

Highlights

• Period rooms from Rococo to Biedermeier
• Historic Adler-Apotheke (Eagle Pharmacy)
• Fireplace room with a stucco fireplace by Pietro Nicolo Gagini (1778)
• Ballroom and Green Salon
• Tile room with around 6,000 faience tiles from the Ludwig collection

Permanent exhibitions

• Wohnkultur im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert – Furnished period rooms with furniture, fireplaces, paintings, porcelain and silver show the Aachen townhouse from Rococo to Biedermeier.

Founded

1929

Operated by

Stadt Aachen (Kulturbetrieb, Route Charlemagne)

Admission & discounts

Prices may differ during temporary exhibitions. Combination ticket including museum admission available for ASEAG public transport passengers.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Old townhouse: only limited accessible access to some rooms on the first floor; second and third floors not accessible. Regular multisensory guided tours for blind and visually impaired people, for groups also on a date of their choice.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Programs for children, families, daycare groups (from age 5) and schools, some with hands-on work in the education room of the nearby Centre Charlemagne. Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum guidebooks (also in English, French and Dutch) and catalogs available at the ticket desk. Central location in the pedestrian zone, no dedicated parking.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit