Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum opened on December 17, 1906, as the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. Its first director, the art historian Theodor Volbehr, saw it as a place of learning that would bring the cultural world of their city closer to all residents. The building near the cathedral was designed by the Viennese architects Friedrich Ohmann and August Kirstein; its showpiece is the Kaiser-Otto-Saal, designed like a medieval hall, with monumental murals by Arthur Kampf depicting Otto the Great.

The building was badly damaged in World War II, and a large part of the evacuated holdings was lost – among them Vincent van Gogh's painting “The Painter on the Road to Tarascon.” After the war the museum received its present name; it shares the building with the Museum für Naturkunde (natural history museum), and both can be visited with a joint ticket.

The collections range from archaeology and the Middle Ages to paintings, decorative arts and furniture, and on to militaria. The museum gained wider renown through major exhibitions such as “Otto der Große, Magdeburg und Europa” (2001) and “Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation” (2006). The Kaiser-Otto-Saal today houses the original Magdeburg Rider from around 1240, considered the oldest freestanding equestrian statue north of the Alps. The museum is run by the state capital Magdeburg as part of the Magdeburger Museen group.

Highlights

• Magdeburg Rider (around 1240) with accompanying figures in the Kaiser-Otto-Saal
• Murals by Arthur Kampf depicting Otto the Great
• Magdeburg's city history with some 2,000 exhibits
• Art collection “Kunstverführung” from antiquity to the Belle Époque
• Baroque Nativity scene with 62 figures
• Exhibition “Schulgeschichte:n” on education in Magdeburg

Permanent exhibitions

• Der Magdeburger Reiter – The Gothic equestrian statue of Otto the Great with its two accompanying figures, presented in the Kaiser-Otto-Saal.
• Magdeburg – die Geschichte der Stadt – Tour through the city's history from the Middle Ages to the modern era with some 2,000 objects.
• Kunstverführung – Some 250 works from the museum's art collections, ranging from antiquity to the Belle Époque.

Founded

1906

Operated by

Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg (Magdeburger Museen)

Director

Dr. Gabriele Köster (Direktorin der Magdeburger Museen)

Admission & discounts

One ticket is valid for the Kulturhistorisches Museum and the Museum für Naturkunde in the same building. Discount scheme: within 30 days, your ticket gets you reduced admission at the Dommuseum Ottonianum and the Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen (and vice versa). Guided tours: €40 (60 min.) or €60 (90 min.), children's tours €15, school class tours €15 per group (max. 25).

Accessibility

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

According to the museum, all areas are accessible; free folding stools for rest breaks. Accessible parking spaces at Anhaltstraße/corner of Otto-von-Guericke-Straße and on Danzstraße. Animals not allowed; assistance dogs permitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Family Sundays, museum festivals, children's tours, and leisure and holiday activities for children and teenagers. In the inner courtyard stands the reconstructed medieval town "Megedeborch" as an interactive play area, open to all guests on market days.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

No café, but a beverage vending machine and a designated eating area in the lower foyer. Unattended coat check and lockers in the shared foyer; museum shop at the entrance.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit