Interactive photography museum in the Leitz Park in Wetzlar, with Leica history, photo stations, a darkroom and photo exhibitions.
October 9, 2026 – February 18, 2027
On show are the winning series of the 46th Leica Oskar Barnack Award, along with a shortlist of further photographers, including the main prize series on everyday life and change in the mountains of Dagestan.
The Ernst Leitz Museum is part of the Leica Welt in the Leitz Park in Wetzlar, the site of Leica Camera. The building's form recalls a camera; a balcony is designed as the viewfinder. At the end of 2021, the museum reopened after extensive conversion work with a new, interactive concept. It was developed by the Berlin office studio klv, which had won the redesign competition in 2020.
The upper floor covers about 600 square meters with four experience areas: "Seeing and Perceiving" with optical phenomena such as a kinetic aperture; "Technology and History" with milestones in Leica's development and objects from the company archive; "Photographing" with stages for wind, movement, light and reflections; and an area for changing exhibitions. Visitors can match shutter sounds to historic cameras, leaf through Oskar Barnack's workshop book, assemble a lens, and follow the steps of analog development in an interactive darkroom.
On the ground floor the house shows photo series by international photographers. Right next door is the Leica Headquarter, where windows into the production corridor give insight into manufacturing, as well as the Leitz-Park Wald (forest) with a nature trail about three kilometers long.
| Adults | €11 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8Students, trainees, university students, retirees, volunteer service participants, job seekers receiving unemployment benefit I (ALG I), and people with a severe disability (degree of disability 50 or higher), upon proof |
| Children & teens | €8free up to age 8 · Children and young people up to 16 years pay the reduced rate (upon proof); children up to 8 years are free. |
| Seniors | €8Retirees pay the reduced rate. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €8companion free · Reduction for a degree of disability of 50 or higher; a companion with the "B" marker goes free. |
| Students & apprentices | €8Students, trainees and university students upon proof. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €9.50 per personFrom 10 people; school classes from 10 people (including 2 teachers) €6 per person. |
| Families | €24With the Familienkarte Hessen €21. |
| Annual pass | €29 |
| Leica Tour (about 60 minutes) | €8Reduced €6; children up to 8 years free. |
| Museum tour including museum admission | €19Reduced €17; children up to 6 years free. |
| Nature Tour (about 90 minutes) | €12Reduced €8; children up to 8 years free. |
With the Familienkarte Hessen, adults pay €9.50 and reduced-rate visitors €6. Guests of the Ernst Leitz Hotel receive reduced admission upon showing their room key. Payment is in cash or by card at the museum ticket desk; tickets are available on site without reservation. Admission to the Leica Headquarter and the Leitz-Park forest is free.
The museum is reachable by elevator and ramps, including for wheelchairs and strollers. Tours through the Leitz Park and the Leica Welt are generally barrier-free; the tour of the old town and the nature trail are not. Wheelchair users should mention this when booking a tour. Dogs on leads are welcome.
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 8 |
| Family ticket | €24 · With the Familienkarte Hessen €21. |
Children up to 8 years enter free. For children and young people there is a museum rally (from age 11, smartphone required), Nature Bingo for the Leitz-Park forest (from age 4), and workshops and offers for school classes. The photo stations and the darkroom invite children to try things out.
Am Leitz-Park
From Wetzlar station/ZOB by bus line 11 toward Gießen, travel time about 15 minutes (11 stops).
Free parking
Free parking directly behind the Ernst Leitz Museum and around Café Leitz, accessible day and night. Buses have their own parking bay on the street; motorhomes use the designated spaces at the Leitz-Park forest (no electricity, water or sanitation; not reservable). Charging stations for electric vehicles are located behind the museum, including 12 Tesla Superchargers.
From the A45, take the Wetzlar-Süd exit toward the city center and Leitz Park; after about two kilometers, at the roundabout with the large globe, take the first exit. Navigation address: Am Leitz-Park 6, 35578 Wetzlar. The bus stop is located directly on the grounds.
Get directionsCafé Leitz (Tuesday to Sunday 11:30–17:30), the restaurant Oskar's in the Ernst Leitz Hotel and a casino; Museum Shop daily 10:00–18:00. Cloakroom and lockers in the museum entrance area.
Up to 800 guests.
The museum offers space for up to 800 people (standing event, rental from €1,000 plus VAT). Also available for rent are the Café Leitz, roof terrace, Leica Galerie, Leica Store and Classic Store, among others; inquiries to events@leica-welt.com.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
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| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Allow a good two hours for the museum visit. Tours are offered in German and English, and in French on request; they start at the meeting point in front of the museum and can be booked online. The tour of the Leica Welt lasts about 60 minutes, the nature trail tour 90 minutes. School classes can book a program and workshops. |
