Jüdisches Museum Frankfurt

Current exhibitions

About the museum

As early as 1922, Frankfurt had a museum of Jewish antiquities, which the Nazis destroyed in 1938; only a few objects survived. Today's Jewish Museum opened on November 9, 1988, the 50th anniversary of the November Pogroms, in the Rothschild-Palais on Untermainkai – as the first municipal Jewish museum in the Federal Republic of Germany. In the 19th century, the Neoclassical city palace belonged to the Rothschild banking family.

In 1987, during construction of an administrative building on Börneplatz, workers came across the foundations of houses of the former Judengasse, the oldest Jewish ghetto in Europe. After heated public debate, parts of the finds were preserved and opened to the public in 1992 as the Museum Judengasse, which reopened in a new design in 2016. It tells of Jewish life in the early modern period.

From 2015 to 2020, the main building was renovated and expanded with a new building by Staab Architekten, known as the Lichtbau ("light building"); since the reopening in October 2020, the entrance has been on Bertha-Pappenheim-Platz. The permanent exhibition "Wir sind Jetzt" (We Are Now) runs from the Enlightenment to the present and draws on collections of Jewish ritual art, fine art, and family history, including holdings on the Rothschild family and the family of Anne Frank, as well as the Ludwig Meidner Archive. The director is Mirjam Wenzel.

Highlights

• Rothschild-Palais on the Main River and the modern Lichtbau by Staab Architekten
• Permanent exhibition "Wir sind Jetzt" on Frankfurt's Jewish history since the Enlightenment
• Holdings on the Rothschild family and the family of Anne Frank
• Museum Judengasse with foundations of the oldest Jewish ghetto in Europe
• Media guide with tours in sign language, Easy Read, and audio description

Permanent exhibitions

• Wir sind Jetzt. Jüdisches Frankfurt von der Aufklärung bis zur Gegenwart – Permanent exhibition in the Rothschild-Palais on Jewish life in Frankfurt since the 18th century.
• Dauerausstellung im Museum Judengasse – Jewish life in Frankfurt's Judengasse in the early modern period, shown among preserved house foundations.
• Rimonim aus aller Welt – Collection of Torah finials (rimonim) from the Cymbalista Collection in the library.

Founded

1988

Operated by

Stadt Frankfurt am Main

Director

Mirjam Wenzel

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Satourday: free admission every last Saturday of the month (excluding booked guided tours); in August on the second-to-last Saturday

The museum ticket (€12) is valid for the permanent exhibitions in the Jewish Museum and the Museum Judengasse. Frankfurt-Pass/Kulturpass €1. Free for groups including people celebrating their birthday (any age), refugees, friends' association members, holders of the MuseumsuferCard/MuseumsuferTicket or Ehrenamts-Card (volunteer card), and ICOM and Museumsbund members. Foyer, LIFE Deli, shop, and library accessible without a ticket.

Accessibility

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

The building on Bertha-Pappenheim-Platz is accessible, with elevators to all levels; the museum nonetheless recommends bringing a companion. Media guide with tours in sign language, Easy Read, and for visually impaired visitors. Museum Judengasse: accessible entrance, but not fully accessible for people with mobility impairments.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Hands-on family tours in both buildings, creative workshops in the Joffi Club (ages 6–12), and a monthly story-reading Sunday (ages 3–8). Activity booklets featuring the characters Levi and Fanny, child-friendly object labels, and interactive stations for building, puzzling, drawing, and solving riddles. Children's birthday parties can be booked; on Satourday, tours and admission are free for families.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café/restaurant LIFE Deli with kosher-vegan menu and terrace. Museum shop run by the Literaturhandlung bookstore. Public library with reading room.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 250 guests.

Event hall in the Lichtbau (150 m²), foyer (200 m²), and museum square (300 m²) for up to 250 guests, LIFE Deli (80 m² plus terrace, up to 100 guests); inquiries via form.

Plan your visit