Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Karlsruhe's municipal art collections go back to private collectors: between 1896 and 1954, the city received the collections of Ferdinand Siegel, Hans Drinneberg and Arthur Drews, among others, along with the estates of regional artists such as Karl Weysser and Hermann Binz, plus ongoing acquisitions. For a long time, however, there was no dedicated building; the holdings were spread across several buildings, and the rooms in the Palais Bürklin were lost in World War II.

It was not until 1981 that the collection gained its own museum, the Städtische Galerie in the Prinz-Max-Palais, with permanent and temporary exhibitions, storage and workshops. In 1997, it moved into the heritage-listed Hallenbau on Lorenzstraße, a 312-meter-long former munitions factory from 1915 to 1918, which the firm Schweger + Partner had converted for the museum, the ZKM and the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. The museum occupies the southernmost of its ten atriums.

The larger space made extensive special exhibitions possible; the permanent loan of the Garnatz Collection with German art after 1960 further strengthened the museum's profile. Today, the collection comprises more than 20,000 works from the late Middle Ages to the present, with a focus on painting, photography and prints as well as Karlsruhe artists such as Karl Hubbuch.

In February 2026, the Städtische Galerie was renamed Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe to emphasize its role as a research-oriented collection museum. Since 2023, the collection exhibition "Update!" has presented the holdings in changing thematic rearrangements.

Highlights

• Collection exhibition "Update!" with around 200 works in changing themed rooms
• Prints from Dürer and Rembrandt to modern art
• Garnatz Collection of German art after 1960
• Works by Karl Hubbuch and the Karlsruhe art scene
• Industrial landmark Hallenbau A next to the ZKM
• Free admission on Fridays from 14:00

Permanent exhibitions

• Update! Die Sammlung neu sichten – Szenenwechsel 4 – Changing collection presentation with around 200 works by 70 artists, combining old and new art in themed rooms on identity, nature, home and gender equality; plus a visible storage area.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Stadt Karlsruhe

Director

Stefanie Patruno

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission for everyone every Friday from 14:00.

The website does not list who is eligible for reduced admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

All collection and exhibition rooms are reachable by elevator. Free loaner wheelchairs and portable folding stools at the entrance. Accessible parking spaces in the underground parking garage, from there by elevator into the ZKM and step-free into the museum. Assistance dogs with ID permitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's workshop every Sunday at 15:00 for children aged 6 and up (90 min., no registration), with a public tour for adults at the same time. Free activity booklet for every special exhibition, Kid’s Zone in the exhibitions, Kangaroo Tour for parents with babies, parent-child workshops, holiday program, and children's birthday parties. Buggies for toddlers at the entrance.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A5 (exit Karlsruhe-Mitte or Karlsruhe-Süd) or the B10 (exit toward ZKM).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with catalogs, postcards, and original artworks by regional artists (sales exhibition of the Förderkreis). Dining options in the immediate neighborhood.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit