Frankfurter Goethe-Haus

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born in the house on Großer Hirschgraben on August 28, 1749, and spent his childhood and youth here until he left for Weimar in 1775. In 1755/56 his father, Johann Caspar Goethe, had two inherited half-timbered houses converted into a stately Rococo-style townhouse. Early works such as “Götz von Berlichingen”, “The Sorrows of Young Werther” and the first version of “Faust” were written in these rooms.

After Goethe's mother moved out in 1795, the house changed hands several times. In 1863 it was acquired by the Freies Deutsches Hochstift, an educational association founded by Frankfurt citizens in 1859, which opened it to the public as the first publicly accessible Goethe memorial. In 1897 a separate museum and library building, the Frankfurter Goethe-Museum, was built next door and was considerably expanded in 1932.

During the air raids of March 1944, the Goethe-Haus and the museum were completely destroyed; the most valuable parts of the collection had been moved to safety beforehand. After a nationwide debate, the family home was faithfully reconstructed using salvaged materials and reopened in 1951, followed by the museum in 1954.

Today, in addition to the historically furnished rooms, the Hochstift shows a picture gallery of the Goethe era and, since September 2021, the Deutsches Romantik-Museum in the neighboring new building, the first museum devoted to Romanticism as an entire epoch. The institute conducts research and publishes editions on Goethe, Brentano and Hofmannsthal, among others, and holds important collections of manuscripts, art and books. Some 75 years after the reconstruction, a comprehensive renovation of the Goethe-Haus is planned while it remains open.

Highlights

• Goethe's birthplace with historically furnished 18th-century rooms
• Poet's room, where the young Goethe wrote
• Astronomical longcase clock (Hüsgen clock) and puppet theater
• Picture gallery of the Goethe era (Goethe-Galerie)
• Deutsches Romantik-Museum with Romantic-era manuscripts, prints and paintings

Permanent exhibitions

• Frankfurter Goethe-Haus – Tour of the historically furnished rooms of Goethe's family home, which bring the Goethe family's life and 18th-century Frankfurt vividly to life.
• Der junge Goethe in Frankfurt am Main 1749–1775 – Cabinet exhibition in the attic about family, house and Frankfurt surroundings, and Goethe's path from law student to celebrated poet of the Sturm und Drang.
• Deutsches Romantik-Museum – Permanent exhibition in the new building next to the Goethe-Haus that brings Romanticism to life as a key epoch through manuscripts, prints, paintings and multimedia installations.

Founded

1863

Operated by

Freies Deutsches Hochstift – Frankfurter Goethe-Museum

Director

Prof. Dr. Anne Bohnenkamp-Renken

Admission & discounts

The ticket is valid for the Goethe-Haus and the Deutsches Romantik-Museum. Combined ticket with special exhibition €15 (students €9, reduced €7, school students €5.50, family €23); special exhibition only €7. “Feierabend im Museum” (after-work at the museum) every first Thursday of the month, 18:00–21:00, for €1. Frankfurt Card €6, Kulturpass €1. Free with the MuseumsuferCard or MuseumsuferTicket, ICOM card and Ehrenamts-Card Hessen (volunteer card), and for members of the Hochstift. Tickets only at the museum ticket desk, no online booking; time slots are not required. Public guided tours are included in admission. Media guide rental €3 plus deposit.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The historic Goethe-Haus can only be reached via stairs; wheelchairs and strollers cannot be used there. The new building with the Deutsches Romantik-Museum, the Goethe-Galerie and the temporary exhibition area, as well as the Arkadensaal (arcade hall), are accessible; a rollator is provided on request. Bookable tours include tours in Easy and Plain Language (Leichte and Einfache Sprache), a multisensory tour and a tour for blind and visually impaired people; the media guide is also available in Plain Language. Assistance dogs allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly: not available

Family tours on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at 14:00 (children up to 18 free), plus children's programs such as SaTOURday and children's theater as well as creative workshops. Strollers are not allowed in the exhibition and are kept in a separate room at the ticket desk; the historic house is accessible only via stairs.

Getting there & parking

According to the website, the visitor address is Großer Hirschgraben 21 (new building); the historic Goethe-Haus is No. 23.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Cloakroom and lockers (€100 if the key is lost). Free Wi-Fi in the museum. Online shop of the Hochstift (shop.freies-deutsches-hochstift.de); the website gives no information about a café or museum shop on site.

Events & venue rental

No information on venue rental found on the Hochstift's websites.

Plan your visit