Jüdisches Museum Franken

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Jüdisches Museum Franken is run by a sponsoring association founded in 1990, whose members are the district of Middle Franconia, the cities of Fürth and Schwabach, the district of Nürnberger Land and the market town of Schnaittach; a friends' association has supported the museum since 1988. All of its sites are listed historic buildings.

The headquarters is a residential and commercial building on Königstraße in Fürth that belonged to Jewish families from the 17th until the late 19th century. The cellar holds a ritual bath built in 1702, and the rear annex preserves sukkahs (festival huts) from the 18th and 19th centuries with a movable roof. After a period of renovation, the Fürth building reopened in May 2018 together with an extension of around 900 square meters. The permanent exhibition shows why Fürth became the most important religious center of southern German Jewry.

In Schnaittach the museum is housed in a synagogue built in 1570, with a rabbi's and cantor's house and ritual bath, and presents evidence of rural Jewish culture. The newest site, in Schwabach, opened in 2015 and preserves a sukkah with late Baroque wall paintings discovered during renovation work around 2000. In addition there is the Krautheimer Krippe branch in Fürth. The collection comprises Judaica and everyday objects; Daniela F. Eisenstein has directed the museum since 2003.

Highlights

• Historic ritual bath from 1702 in the main Fürth building
• Sukkahs with a coffered ceiling in Fürth and late Baroque wall paintings in Schwabach
• Synagogue from 1570 with men's and women's sections in Schnaittach
• Judaica and everyday objects on Franconian Jewish history
• Café with museum garden and bookshop in Fürth

Permanent exhibitions

• Dauerausstellung Fürth – Judaica and everyday objects tell of the history and present of Jewish life in Franconia, set in a historic house with a ritual bath and sukkah.
• Dauerausstellung Schnaittach – Ritual objects and everyday items from the rural Jewish communities around Schnaittach, in the synagogue of 1570.
• Dauerausstellung Schwabach – Building traces and animated films about the Koppel family's sukkah, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Jewish history of Schwabach.

Operated by

Trägerverein Jüdisches Museum Franken e.V.

Director

Daniela F. Eisenstein

Visitors per year

approx. 14,820 (2024)

Admission & discounts

Prices for Fürth: permanent or temporary exhibition €6, both together €8 (reduced €3 and €5 respectively). Schnaittach and Schwabach: €5, reduced €3, families €15. Free admission for, among others, recipients of state benefits, holders of the Fürth-Pass, Nürnberg Card, Schwabach Card and Bavarian Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card), and members of the Museumsbund, AEJM and ICOM. From October 3 to 14, 2026, admission to the temporary exhibition “Hereinspaziert – Manege frei!” is free.

Accessibility

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

Fürth: new building and study library accessible; in the old building four exhibition levels can be reached by elevator, but there are different floor levels and thresholds, and the ritual bath and sukkah are reachable only by stairs – an accompanying person is recommended. Krautheimer Krippe, Schnaittach and Schwabach are not accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Hands-on programs for kindergartens, preschoolers, and the first elementary school grades (90 minutes each), for example on Jewish festivals or kosher food with tasting. Family and holiday programs have been announced.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Mary S. Rosenberg Café with the Alfred Heilbronn Museum Garden; Jakob Wassermann Bookstore & Museum Shop (each Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00). Bags and luggage must be stored in lockers.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit