Expressionist brick building by Bernhard Hoetger in the centre of Worpswede, with masterpieces by the first generation of Worpswede artists.
November 21, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Exhibition for the Paula Modersohn-Becker Art Prize of the Landkreis Osterholz, which is awarded every two years, with main prize, special prize and emerging talent prize; also on view at the same time at the Barkenhoff.
February 7, 2026 – November 1, 2026
The focus is on Paula Modersohn-Becker's “Halbakt einer sitzenden Bäuerin” (Half-Nude of a Seated Farm Woman). The exhibition asks how artists have approached their sitters and how the view of social roles and power relations has changed.
The sculptor and architect Bernhard Hoetger came to Worpswede in 1914 and in the following years shaped the village with numerous buildings. Commissioned by Bremen's Kaffee HAG GmbH, from 1925 he built an ensemble of three interconnected buildings in the village centre: the Kaffee Worpswede, popularly known as "Kaffee Verrückt" (Crazy Café), the Logierhaus (guest house) and, in 1927, the Große Kunstschau. The complex was intended to serve at once as a meeting place, an event venue and an exhibition house for the local artists.
The Kunstschau is a single-storey brick building shaped like a sculpture, with rooms grouped around a rotunda with a suspended dome and skylight. The ensemble is a listed monument and is regarded as an important example of Expressionist architecture. In 1971 a low annex was built next door for Ludwig Roselius's prehistoric and early historic collection; after renovation and extension in 2010/11 it is connected via a glass link and has since served as a space for modern and contemporary art. The Kunstschau itself reopened after renovation in 2008.
Today the Große Kunstschau belongs to the Worpswede museum association together with Barkenhoff, Haus im Schluh and the Worpsweder Kunsthalle. In the rotunda, in a changing hang, it shows works by the first generation of Worpswede artists, including Paula Modersohn-Becker, Otto Modersohn, Heinrich Vogeler, Fritz Mackensen, Hans am Ende, Fritz Overbeck and Carl Vinnen, as well as works by Hoetger. The new building hosts temporary exhibitions and works from the collections of the Kulturstiftung Landkreis Osterholz.
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6People with a severe disability card (from a degree of disability of 50), members of the Verband Deutscher Kunsthistoriker (Association of German Art Historians) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people up to the age of 18 free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6Reduced admission from a degree of disability of 50. |
| Students & apprentices | freeSchool pupils, students and trainees have free admission. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personPer person and museum; please register groups in advance. |
| Museum hoch 4 (all four Worpswede museums, valid for 1 year) | €25Reduced €15; transferable, each museum once. |
| Annual ticket for all 4 museums | €49Reduced €29, also for residents of the district of Osterholz. |
Residents of Worpswede who bring at least one paying guest get free admission. A fee of €20 is charged for a self-led tour brought into the museum.
The museum is largely accessible without barriers, with a few limitations. The museum answers questions about planning your visit by phone or email.
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Children and young people up to 18 years have free admission.
Worpswede Hemberg
VBN bus line 670 from Bremen Hauptbahnhof to the stop Worpswede Hemberg. In summer the Moorexpress (Bremen–Stade) also runs on Saturdays, on the first Sunday of the month and on public holidays; from Worpswede station it is about a 20-minute walk.
Parking available
The large central car park in the middle of the village is recommended (satnav: Bergstraße 13); the Große Kunstschau can be reached on foot from there.
By bike: the art cycle route "Moor, Magie und große Kunst" (Moor, Magic and Great Art) between Bremen, Worpswede, Vegesack and Fischerhude.
Get directionsMuseum shop with books, prints and gifts (same opening hours as the museum). The neighbouring Kaffee Worpswede by Hoetger is currently accessible only as part of guided tours; there is a museum café at the Barkenhoff.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | "Kunststunde" (Art Hour): every Thursday at 4 pm the curatorial team leads a tour of one of the four Worpswede museums in turn (€3 plus admission). Group tours (max. 20 people) via the Gästeführer Worpswede (Worpswede guides): 60 minutes €85, 90 minutes €115 plus admission; tours are also available in English, French, Italian, Ukrainian and Russian. School classes from the district of Osterholz can take part in the free programme "JiM – Jung im Museum" (Young in the Museum). |
