Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte: Museum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

In December 2011, the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided to give the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (House of Bavarian History) a museum of its own and chose Regensburg from around 25 competing cities. The deciding factors were a central site on the Donaumarkt at the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage old town and the city’s symbolic importance in Bavarian history. The Frankfurt firm Wörner Traxler Richter won the architectural competition in 2013 with a bright, angular building whose facade echoes the surrounding old-town rooftops.

A fire in a neighboring building in the summer of 2017 delayed completion and pushed costs up to around €95 million. The museum finally opened in early June 2019, and several hundred thousand visitors came in the first few months alone. It is run by the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, a state agency headquartered in Augsburg that also organizes the Bavarian State Exhibitions at changing locations.

On the upper floor, the permanent exhibition uses around 1,000 objects across roughly 2,500 square meters to tell how the kingdom founded in 1806 became today’s Free State of Bavaria. It is divided into nine generational sections staged like scenes in a history theater, complemented by eight culture cabinets on typically Bavarian phenomena. Many of the loans come from private owners and tell personal stories alongside the major events.

In the foyer, which is free to enter, visitors are greeted by a four-meter-tall lion that once served as the emblem of an Oktoberfest tent; a 360-degree multimedia show there covers the period before 1800. In the column-free Donausaal hall, the museum presents a new Bavarian exhibition every year; in 2026/27 the topic is the Hitler Putsch and the defense of Weimar democracy. The neighboring Bavariathek offers media education programs for school classes.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition “Wie Bayern Freistaat wurde und was ihn besonders macht” (How Bavaria became a Free State and what makes it special) with around 1,000 objects
• Free 360-degree multimedia show “Was vorher geschah” (What came before) in the foyer
• Four-meter-tall Oktoberfest lion in the foyer
• 2026/27 Bavarian exhibition “Brennpunkt Bayern” on the Hitler Putsch
• Media guide with video and audio tours, also in Easy Language and sign language

Permanent exhibitions

• Wie Bayern Freistaat wurde und was ihn besonders macht – Bavarian history from the founding of the kingdom in 1806 to the present, told in nine generational sections and eight culture cabinets with around 1,000 exhibits.
• Was vorher geschah – Multimediaschau – Free 360-degree show in the foyer that sums up the region’s history before 1800 in about 25 minutes.

Founded

2019

Operated by

Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (Freistaat Bayern)

Director

Richard Loibl

Admission & discounts

During the 2026/27 Bavarian exhibition (July 8, 2026 – August 7, 2027), the ticket covers both the Bavarian exhibition and the permanent exhibition. Members of the friends’ association get in free; further concessions are listed on the website. The foyer with the 360-degree multimedia show is free.

Accessibility

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

Accessible entrance to the building and permanent exhibition, elevator, tactile floor indicators in the foyer, induction loops on the first floor and neck loops to borrow; loaner wheelchairs and portable stools. Tactile objects and raised-line images with Braille and embossed lettering, tactile maps, and the touch tour “Hand drauf!” (max. 5 people). Sign language videos, free sign language interpreting on guided tours, tours in plain language. Three public accessible parking spaces at Ostengasse/Kalmünzergasse.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Tour buses via Adolph-Kolping-Straße; the Schwanenplatz stop is closed until December 2026, boarding and alighting at Hunnenplatz, parking areas provided by the city of Regensburg.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Wirtshaus (tavern) "Brezeria" in the foyer (Tue–Sun 10:00–23:00) with pretzel pizzas and Bavarian dishes; shop with products from Bavaria and publications; free BayernWLAN.

Events & venue rental

Special exhibitions and events take place in the column-free Donausaal (approx. 1,000 m²); the website does not describe any rental options.

Plan your visit