Deutsches Fächer Museum – Barisch Stiftung
Germany's only fan museum, in Bielefeld's old town, with fans and fashion accessories from five centuries.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum goes back to the collector couple Marie-Luise and Günter Barisch. The interior designer, who for many years planned leading fashion stores, bought a first fan more or less by chance and then began, together with his wife, to collect fans systematically from all over the world, with a particular fondness for pieces that tell of historical figures and events.
In 1994 the couple founded a non-profit foundation that runs the museum; in November 1995 the German Fan Museum opened in Bielefeld's old town. It is the only museum of its kind in Germany. Donations from friends and visitors have steadily enlarged the holdings since then. Since 2018 the museum has been directed by Maria Plet, who has been involved with it since its beginnings and sits on the foundation's board; fans are repaired in its own restoration room in the basement.
The collection comprises around 3,000 fans, as many accessories and a specialist library. Its showpieces include an English fan after Rubens' Medici cycle, Japanese lacquer fans, a cast-iron fan from the era of "Berlin iron" and a fan depicting the first balloon ascent by the Montgolfier brothers. Changing thematic exhibitions shed light on fan fashion, manufacture and contemporary history.
Highlights
- English folding fan c. 1750 after Rubens' Medici cycle
- Cast-iron brisé fan from the era of "Berlin iron"
- Japanese lacquer fan with gold painting from Kyoto (1880)
- Fan commemorating the first balloon ascent by the Montgolfier brothers (1783)
- Fan with a map of London c. 1790
- Founded
- 1995
- Operated by
- Barisch Stiftung
- Director
- Maria Plet
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3 |
| Groups | –Guided tour for groups of up to ten people €40 (by arrangement). |
| Guided tour (up to ten people, by arrangement) | €40 |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Landgericht · 250 m
Stadtbahn lines 1 and 2 to Landgericht; leave the platform uphill and turn right into Neustädter Straße, past the high-rise bunker.
By car
Parking available
Welle underground car park (entrance Am Bach 20) diagonally opposite the museum.
By car via the A2 and A33, exit Bielefeld-Zentrum.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours for individuals and groups of up to ten people by arrangement, outside regular opening hours on request. |
Museums nearby
Kunstverein Bielefeld
Naturkunde-Museum Bielefeld
Kunsthalle Bielefeld
Historische Sammlung Bethel
Museum Wäschefabrik
Historisches Museum der Stadt Bielefeld
All 12 museums in Bielefeld All museums in North Rhine-Westphalia
