Gutenberg-Museum
One of the world's oldest printing museums: two Gutenberg Bibles, printing demonstrations, and media history – currently in the temporary venue "Gutenberg-Museum MOVED."
About the museum
Citizens of Mainz founded the museum in 1900 to mark the 500th birthday of Johannes Gutenberg; it opened in 1901 with two rooms in the Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Palace). After an interim stay in the library building on Rheinallee, it moved in 1926 into the house "Zum Römischen Kaiser" on Liebfrauenplatz. The building was destroyed in World War II, but most of the collection was saved; the reconstructed building reopened in 1962 together with a new building designed by architect Rainer Schell.
Key milestones in the collection's history include the reconstruction of Gutenberg's workshop, set up in 1925, the purchase of a first copy of the 42-line Bible in 1926, and the acquisition of the two-volume Shuckburgh Bible in 1978. Today the holdings comprise several hundred thousand objects on the history of printing, writing, paper, and books from around the world.
After a planned extension (the "Bibelturm," or Bible Tower) was rejected in a 2018 referendum, the city of Mainz decided to replace the dilapidated Schell building with a new one. The museum on Liebfrauenplatz closed in October 2024. Since November 2024, the museum has been showing the temporary exhibition "Gutenberg-Museum MOVED" in restored rooms of the former Poor Clares convent, which also houses the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum). There, visitors can see the Gutenberg Bibles in a walk-in treasury, watch printing demonstrations on the replica Gutenberg press, and visit the print workshop of the Druckladen.
Highlights
- Two copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible and fragments of the B36 in the treasury
- Hourly printing demonstrations on the reconstructed Gutenberg press
- City model with an animation of Gutenberg's places of work in Mainz
- Druckladen: hands-on workshop for printing with lead and wood type
- Selfie station set in a medieval print shop
Permanent exhibitions
- Gutenberg-Museum MOVED – Temporary exhibition on three levels in the former Poor Clares convent: six themed sections link the history of printing and media with present-day questions, centered on the treasury with the Gutenberg Bibles.
- Founded
- 1900
- Operated by
- Landeshauptstadt Mainz
- Director
- Dr. Ulf Sölter
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6School students aged 19 and over, university students, apprentices, people with a severe disability (rating of 50 or more), recipients of social benefits, seniors aged 63 and over, early retirees, volunteer service participants |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 3 · Children up to 3 free; children and teens aged 4 to 18: €4. |
| Seniors | €6Ages 63 and over, as well as early retirees |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6companion free · Reduced admission with a disability rating of 50 or more; with the "B" marker, free admission for the cardholder and one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | €6 |
| Groups | –Flat rates: daycare groups €15, school classes up to and including 6th grade €20. |
| Families | €16 |
| Public guided tour (mainzplus) | €14Reduced €12, children up to 8 free; plus admission, registration required |
Free admission with, among others, the mainzcardplus, Ferienkarte, Juleica, and Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card); for members of the Gutenberg-Gesellschaft, Förderverein Gutenberg, Freundeskreis Gutenberg, Rheinische Naturforschende Gesellschaft, Museumsbund, and ICOM; for guests from Mainz's twin cities; and for refugees (by arrangement). Printing demonstrations are included in admission; workshop fee for Family Saturday €3 per child.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The temporary venue is accessible, with an elevator to all levels (also suitable for strollers) and an accessible restroom.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
| Family ticket | €16 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Kids’ birthday parties
Family Saturday every 2nd and 4th Saturday (14:00–16:00) for children aged 6 and up with an adult: a child-friendly tour and hands-on printing (registration required, print workshop €3 per child). At the Druckladen, children aged 6 and up can do their own printing; it also hosts children's birthday parties and holiday programs. The museum is fully accessible with a stroller.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bauhofstraße · 5-min walk
By bus to "Bauhofstraße" or "Schusterstraße," then about a 5-minute walk.
By car
Paid parking
No museum parking; paid parking in the "Am Brand" and "Rathaus-Rheingoldhalle" parking garages. The museum also provides walking directions from the Römerpassage, Bleiche, and Rheinufer parking garages.
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
- Coat check
Gutenberg shop in the black pavilions on the forecourt (also the museum ticket desk), with the Gutenberg Stiftung café offering coffee and cake to go. Free cloakroom in the foyer. Food and drink are not allowed in the exhibition rooms.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography for private use is allowed, without flash, tripod, or selfie stick; commercial photography only with written permission |
| Good to know | Printing demonstrations (15 min) every hour on the hour from 10:00 to 17:00, Thursdays until 19:00. Public guided tours May–October on Saturdays at 11:45, November–April once a month; registration with mainzplus (+49 6131 242827). Group tours in many languages via mainzplus; workshops, special tours, and school programs via the Druckladen (gm-druckladen@stadt.mainz.de). Film screenings in the cinema room. |
