Jena's city history from its beginnings to the industrial modern age, in a late Gothic town house on the market square – with audio guide and changing exhibitions.
September 4, 2026 – December 31, 2026
The exhibition explores how photography entered the everyday lives of Jena's residents and shows private amateur photos from the city and its surroundings.
The Stadtmuseum Jena (city museum) goes back to an initiative of the art historian Paul Weber, who founded it in 1901 and directed it until 1930; it first opened its doors two years later. The museum building of the time, on Weigelstraße, was destroyed in World War II, and the collection then moved between various makeshift quarters in the city for decades.
Since 1988 the museum has had its permanent home in the "Alte Göhre" at Markt 7. The building is one of the few surviving late medieval town houses in Jena: its foundations date back to the 13th century, while the half-timbered upper floor and steep roof were added in 1557. It owes its name to the wine merchant Paul Göhre, who bought the property in 1893 and ran a wine trade and wine tavern there. The half-timbering and roof were thoroughly restored in the late 1990s. The neighboring newer building, the "Neue Göhre" from 1908, has housed the municipal art collection since 1992.
The permanent exhibition covers the city's history across several floors, linked by a timeline in the stairwell. Topics include Jena's "Seven Wonders", the medieval wine-growing town, the Reformation and the university, student life including the student prison, the battle of 1806 and the colors black-red-gold, which originated in Jena, through to the dawn of the industrial modern age with Zeiss, Abbe and Schott. The museum also runs the branch sites Karmelitenkloster (Carmelite monastery) and Museum 1806 in Cospeda.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3including people with severe disabilities, the unemployed and groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and teens up to 18 and school students up to 20 free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3 |
| Students & apprentices | –Free admission with the Studentisches Kulturticket (student culture ticket). |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personPrivate guided tours €50 (children/teens €30) per hour or part thereof, plus admission. |
| Public guided tour | €7reduced €5, children and teens €1 |
| Annual pass | €60for all permanent and changing exhibitions |
Free admission: Last Sunday of the month (Städtische Museen Jena)
The Kunstsammlung Jena (art collection) in the neighboring "Neue Göhre" is also part of the Städtische Museen Jena (municipal museums) but is a separate museum.
According to the website's accessibility statement, there is currently no information in Easy Language and no sign language services. According to the travel portal VIA REGIA barrierefrei, two steps lead to the entrance; next to it is a bell with an intercom for guests with limited mobility.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
Children's audio guide with 13 stations (German) in the browser of your own smartphone. Family tours, holiday projects, museum workshop, and children's birthday parties; "Museumszwerge" (Museum Dwarfs) project for daycare groups.
Stadtzentrum/Löbdergraben
Stops Stadtzentrum/Löbdergraben, Steinweg and Universität (bus and tram)
Parking available
Eichplatz and Inselplatz parking lots and the "Neue Mitte" parking garage.
Guest Wi-Fi (access details at the ticket desk). Basic headphones for the audio guide available in the museum shop.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The audio guide (36 stations for adults in German and English, 13 children's stations in German) runs in the browser of your own smartphone; bring headphones. Themed tours for school classes and groups can be booked through the museum education team; "Museumskoffer unterwegs" (museum suitcase on the road) program for schools. |
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