Deutsches Kameramuseum
Volunteer-run technology museum in Plech with more than 3,500 photo and film devices, projectors, and a 1950s camera shop.
About the museum
The museum's foundation is the collection of the Pegnitz journalist and photographer Kurt Tauber, who has been gathering cameras and photographic accessories since the late 1970s and for a long time showed them only in a virtual camera museum on the internet. In 2008, the Stiftung Kameramuseum Kurt Tauber, which owns the collection, was established under the administration of the municipality of Plech.
In 2011 the Förderverein Deutsches Kameramuseum in Plech (friends' association) was founded, which runs the museum on a volunteer basis to this day. The municipality made rooms on the upper floor of the elementary school available for it. The first rooms were accessible from December 2011, and the official opening of the expanded exhibition followed in May 2012. Since 2017, an exterior elevator has provided barrier-free access to all rooms.
The museum above all wants to show the everyday history of photography, meaning cameras that many people owned or wished for, complemented by rare pieces. Besides the camera hall with a chronological timeline, there are sections on reproduction photography and the darkroom, on film and projection, and an original photo shop from East Frisia. Photo exhibitions in the stairwell gallery, an annual photo and film fair, and a free online audio guide round out the offering.
Highlights
- More than 3,500 cameras, about 2,000 of them in the camera hall
- Timeline of camera technology since the invention of photography
- Wooden reproduction camera about 4.40 meters long (around 1928)
- Original 1956 photo shop from East Frisia
- More than 250 film and slide projectors and hundreds of film cameras
Permanent exhibitions
- Kamerasaal mit Zeitschiene – About 50 large display cases trace the development of camera technology from the 19th century to the digital camera, complemented by cases on individual manufacturers and countries.
- Fotoladen anno 1956 – The complete furnishings of an East Frisian photo specialty shop, with illuminated signs, bags, and merchandise, bring the postwar photo trade to life.
- Film und Projektion – A former classroom shows film and slide projectors, epidiascopes, and film cameras from 8 to 16 millimeters, as well as a working animation table.
- Founded
- 2011
- Operated by
- Förderverein Deutsches Kameramuseum in Plech e. V.
- Director
- Kurt Tauber
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Young people aged 14 and over, school students, students, trainees, and severely disabled people with ID |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 13 · Children under 14 free, young people aged 14 and over pay the reduced price |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3with severe disability ID |
| Students & apprentices | €3 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3.50 per personreduced €2 per person; also applies to school classes |
| Special tour outside opening hours | €25Fee plus group admission, from 10 people |
€1 off with the Erlebnis-Card Fränkische Schweiz, membership card of the Fränkische-Schweiz-Verein, Deutschland-Ticket or same-day VGN ticket, or Sommer(s)pass ID.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- 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
All rooms reachable via an exterior elevator (also for strollers), accessible restroom available.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 13 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
Children under 14 have free admission. Many devices may be touched; the elevator is also usable for strollers.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
By train (Nuremberg–Bayreuth/Hof line) to Pegnitz or Neuhaus an der Pegnitz, then by bus or on-demand taxi to Plech.
By car
Free parking
Free parking for cars, motorcycles, buses, and motorhomes directly in front of the entrance.
A9 (Munich–Berlin), exit Plech, then follow the signs for "Plech" or "Kameramuseum." The museum is on the second floor of the elementary school; the visitor address is not a postal address.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
Museum shop in the foyer with donated duplicate pieces for collectors. Wi-Fi hotspot for the audio guide.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| Good to know | Free audio guide with 37 stops that runs in the browser of your own smartphone. Group tours for 10 or more by arrangement, also on weekdays and public holidays. On every second Sunday of the month, visitors can have their own cameras appraised. A virtual 3D tour is available online. |
