Internationales Keramik-Museum Weiden

About the museum

The Internationales Keramik-Museum opened in 1990 as a branch of Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum in Munich. It was made possible by the museum development program through which the Bavarian state government, from 1979 onward, sought to bring state collections to the regions as well. The city of Weiden is the museum's operating body and runs it together with the Free State of Bavaria. The location is fitting: since the founding of the Bauscher porcelain factory in 1881 and of Seltmann in 1910, Weiden has been known as a porcelain town, helped by the kaolin deposits in nearby Hirschau.

The museum is housed in the Waldsassener Kasten, a Baroque granary that Waldsassen Abbey had built around the middle of the 18th century to plans by its master builder Philipp Muttone. The city's regional library is located in the same building.

What makes the concept special is the collaboration of several institutions: alongside Die Neue Sammlung, the Staatliche Antikensammlungen, the Archäologische Staatssammlung, the Museum Fünf Kontinente, the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst and the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum show selected ceramics from their holdings. Across some 1,000 square meters, the range extends from Neolithic vessels, Greek vases and faience from the Upper Palatinate to contemporary studio ceramics.

In 2015 the Deutscher Kulturrat (German Cultural Council) put the museum on its Red List as threatened with closure. After a comprehensive modernization, it has presented completely redesigned exhibition rooms since October 12, 2025. The permanent exhibition is complemented by temporary exhibitions that the museum organizes with its friends' association "Die Keramischen".

Highlights

• Greek vase painting from the Staatliche Antikensammlungen
• Ancient Egyptian ceramics and faience spanning more than 4,000 years
• Blue Multan pottery and pre-Columbian vessels from the Museum Fünf Kontinente
• Faience from Amberg and Sulzbach and Frankenthal porcelain
• Modern and contemporary ceramics from Die Neue Sammlung
• Baroque Waldsassener Kasten as the museum building

Permanent exhibitions

• Historische Keramiken aus fünf bayerischen Staatsmuseen – On the upper floor, five Munich state museums show ceramics from the Neolithic to the Baroque – from Greek vases and Egyptian vessels to Multan pottery and Upper Palatinate faience.
• Keramiken der Neuen Sammlung – The first floor traces the development of modern ceramics from Art Nouveau and studio pottery to contemporary sculptural works, with positions from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
• Moderne im Rückblick – To mark the 100th anniversary of Die Neue Sammlung's first exhibition, ceramics are on view that were already shown in its opening show in 1926.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Stadt Weiden i.d.OPf. gemeinsam mit Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum (Freistaat Bayern)

Director

Johannes Listewnik

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission to exhibition openings; between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the friends' association "Die Keramischen" usually hosts free admission days.

The website does not say who is entitled to reduced admission. Card payment accepted.

Accessibility

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

Two elevators serve all floors; two rooms are only partly accessible. Guide dogs and epilepsy alert dogs with identification are allowed. Exhibition texts in easy-to-understand language via QR code for reading and listening. Folding stools available to borrow; staff assistance on request by phone. No induction loop so far.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Creative workshops in the museum studio, the holiday program "Sommer im Museum" (Summer at the Museum), the series "Kinder im Museum" (Kids at the Museum), family workshops, and children's tours ("Kinder führen Kinder" – Kids Guide Kids) according to the program.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Coat check

No café of its own, but the reading café of the regional library is in the same building. Bags and backpacks larger than A4 as well as umbrellas must be left at the coat check by the ticket desk.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit