Haus der Stadtgeschichte (Offenbach am Main)

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Offenbach's city museum was founded in 1969 and was initially housed in the Villa Jäger. It was later merged with the city archive to form the Haus der Stadtgeschichte (House of City History), which moved into the Bernardbau in January 2004. The listed building complex on Herrnstraße was completed in 1896 as a tobacco factory for the firm Gebrüder Bernard.

The permanent exhibition spans roughly 10,000 years – from prehistoric finds and an early Celtic wagon grave from Rumpenheim all the way to the present day. Key themes include the arrival of the Huguenots, whose privileges from 1705 have survived, the history of the Jewish community, 18th-century ceramics, the d’Orville dollhouse from 1757, and industrialization. A reconstructed lithographic press recalls that lithography set out from Offenbach to conquer the world after music publisher Johann Anton André brought its inventor, Alois Senefelder, to the city.

The rear wing houses the department of modern art and graphic art with around 7,500 sheets, including the collection of the Internationale Senefelder-Stiftung on permanent loan. The city archive holds municipal records, photographs, newspapers, and library holdings, and offers a public reading room. Since 2020, the Haus der Stadtgeschichte and the Klingspor Museum have also jointly run the print workshop in the Bernardbau, offering courses in lithography, etching, letterpress printing, and bookbinding. Temporary exhibitions round out the program.

Highlights

• The d’Orville dollhouse from 1757
• Early Celtic wagon grave from Rumpenheim
• Huguenot privileges from 1705
• Lithographic press and the history of lithography in Offenbach
• Graphic art collection with around 7,500 sheets
• Print workshop in the Bernardbau with courses and workshops

Permanent exhibitions

• Dauerausstellung zur Offenbacher Stadtgeschichte – A tour through some 10,000 years of history of the city and region of Offenbach, from prehistory to the Huguenots, Jewish life, and industrialization, right up to the present day.

Founded

2004

Operated by

Stadt Offenbach am Main

Director

Jürgen Eichenauer

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Fridays.

Admission to temporary exhibitions is included in the regular ticket unless stated otherwise; exhibition openings and closing events are free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• 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

According to Museumsufer Frankfurt, the museum is largely accessible; the restroom is only partially wheelchair-accessible. Public accessible parking spaces on Herrnstraße and Kirchgasse. The city archive is not accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Educational programs for daycare groups, school classes, and families on request. Children and teenagers under 18 get in free.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with publications on Offenbach's history and replicas, such as the Bieber amulet.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit