Deutsches Landwirtschaftsmuseum Hohenheim

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to the early days of the University of Hohenheim: after King Wilhelm I founded an agricultural teaching and research institute here in 1818, agricultural implements and models were collected and, in 1831/32, made accessible to the public in rooms of Hohenheim Palace. Because the collection was placed under scholarly supervision from 1832 and received its own budget, that year is considered its founding date.

By the mid-20th century, most of the holdings were in storage. The idea of a modern agricultural museum arose on the occasion of a plow show at the 1958 World Ploughing Contest in Hohenheim; in 1965 the teaching and display collection was once again given exhibition space in a new hall on Garbenstraße. In 1972 the Deutsches Landwirtschaftsmuseum (German Agricultural Museum) was officially founded, partly as a successor to the Agricultural Museum in Berlin, which had ceased to exist in 1945.

Over the following decades the museum grew by several halls, including three exhibition halls on Filderhauptstraße, so that today around 5,700 m² of covered exhibition space is available. The displays trace the development from simple field implements to modern agricultural technology – with an extensive tractor collection, steam plow sets, harvesting machines, and the historical model collection. Currently only the Filderhauptstraße site is open, with its halls on potato cultivation, harvesting technology, and tractors and engines.

Highlights

• Large tractor collection with machines from a wide range of manufacturers
• Steam plow set with portable steam engines from 1911
• The development of grain harvesting up to the self-propelled combine harvester
• Theme hall "Ackerbau im Wandel" (Changing Agriculture), illustrated by the potato
• Historical model collection of the Hohenheim institute

Permanent exhibitions

• Ackerbau im Wandel am Beispiel der Kartoffel – Theme hall that uses the potato to show how the technology of soil cultivation, planting, crop care, and harvesting has changed.
• Erntemaschinen – Hall on the mechanization of the grain harvest, from simple mowers to early self-propelled combine harvesters.
• Traktoren und Motoren – A cross-section of tractor history with machines from numerous manufacturers, complemented by engines and steam plowing technology.

Founded

1972

Operated by

Universität Hohenheim

Director

Jürgen Weisser

Admission & discounts

The €3 price applies as long as only the Filderhauptstraße site is open (the university website still lists €4). Free admission for members of the friends' association, Museumsbund/ICOM members, press, and with the Museums-PASS-Musées, StuttCard, and Bonuscard + Kultur. Card payment not accepted.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

The two sites, Filderhauptstraße 179 and Garbenstraße 9a, are about 600 m apart; currently only Filderhauptstraße is open.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

No on-site café or restaurant; nearby options include Café Denkbar on campus and the Wirtshaus Zur Garbe. Dogs are not allowed in the museum.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit