Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen Magdeburg

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen is one of Magdeburg's oldest buildings. Around 1017/18, Archbishop Gero founded a collegiate foundation dedicated to the Virgin Mary north of the cathedral; the new building begun in 1063/64, with its cruciform columned basilica, still forms the core of the complex today. In 1129, Norbert of Xanten handed the foundation over to the Premonstratensian order he had founded. After the Reformation it became Protestant, and from 1698 it housed a Pädagogium (boarding school) for boys.

In 1959, the city decided to use the complex for cultural purposes. In 1975, the art museum moved into the north and west wings, and a year later the GDR's national collection of small sculpture (Nationale Sammlung Kleinplastik) was established here. From 1977 to 2020, the monastery church served as the concert hall "Georg Philipp Telemann". Some of the historical sculptures come from the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, which opened in 1906.

Since 1989, a sculpture park around the monastery has complemented the museum. After 1990, the collection opened up internationally again; today its focus is on art since 1945, especially sculpture, photography, and video and film art, alongside historical sculpture from the Middle Ages to modernism. With its temporary exhibitions in the cloister and on the upper floors, the museum is considered the most important venue for contemporary art in Saxony-Anhalt.

Highlights

• Romanesque monastery complex with cloister and monastery church
• Donatello Madonna (c. 1415/20) and sculptures from the Riemenschneider school
• Wilhelm Lehmbruck's "Hagerer Torso" and Ernst Barlach's "Bettlerin"
• Media collection with video and film art since the 1960s
• Sculpture park with around 50 outdoor sculptures around the monastery

Permanent exhibitions

• Kunst bis 1945 – Historical sculpture from the 13th century to classical modernism in the barrel vaults and the Hochsäulige Kapelle (high-columned chapel), including works from destroyed Magdeburg churches.
• Zeitgenössische Kunst – International and regional positions since 1945 in the upper barrel vault of the north wing, with a focus on sculpture and video and film art.
• Skulpturenpark – Around 50 sculptures, from GDR sculptors to international contemporary artists, in the open space between the monastery, the old town and the Elbe.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg

Director

Prof. Dr. Annegret Laabs

Admission & discounts

Discount system: your ticket entitles you to reduced admission at the Kulturhistorisches Museum/Museum für Naturkunde and the Dommuseum Ottonianum within 30 days (and vice versa). Free for, among others, members of the Museumsverband Sachsen-Anhalt, the friends' association, DMB and ICOM, the press, and tour groups making short visits to the cloister and church as part of city tours. No surcharge is listed for special exhibitions.

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: no information
• Audio description: no information

Certified under "Reisen für Alle" (accessibility verified). Accessible entrance, ramps to the cloister and church; shop, café and one restroom are accessible. The special exhibition rooms on the second and third floors are reached via the elevator in the south stairwell – according to the museum, it is currently out of service (as of September 2026). No animals except guide and assistance dogs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Free art course for ages 6 to 10 (Wednesdays), KinderKunstKlassen (children's art classes), holiday programs for ages 6 to 12, and "Familienzeit" (family time) in the children's studio while adults take part in a tour. Multimedia guide or app for children aged 6 to 12. Children's birthday parties in the studio. Free admission under 18.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Café & bistro on the west side (Tue–Sat 12:00–18:00, Sun 14:00–18:00; operated by Easy Gastro). Museum shop with catalogs, publications, and artists' editions. Free Wi-Fi.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Monastery church (up to 6 hrs €2,500 plus additional costs; food and drinks not permitted there), cloister/courtyard (€2,200), foyer and individual rooms (from €300 for 4 hrs); suitable for corporate events, receptions and evening lectures, among others. The café is rented separately via Easy Gastro.

Plan your visit