Expressionist Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) by Johann and Jutta Bossard near Jesteburg, with an art temple, a residence and studio house, and a garden.
May 10, 2026 – November 8, 2026
Marking the 100th anniversary of the start of construction, this exhibition in the Neues Atelier traces Bossard's path from the idea of a "temple art" to the construction and decoration of the art temple.
November 15, 2026 – April 18, 2027
A selection of recent donations and long-term loans featuring works by Johann Michael Bossard and his students Carl Schümann and Uta Falter-Baumgarten.
The Swiss sculptor and painter Johann Michael Bossard (1874–1950) came to Hamburg's Kunstgewerbeschule (school of arts and crafts) as a teacher in 1907 and in 1911 acquired a roughly three-hectare plot of heathland near Jesteburg. Beginning in 1912, a residence and studio house was built there first; after World War I, Bossard gradually expanded the property into a Gesamtkunstwerk in which architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and garden design were meant to work together.
In 1926 he married his former student Jutta Krull (1903–1996), who from then on worked on the project as a sculptor and ceramicist. That same year, construction began on the Expressionist art temple, which was decorated with mosaics, painting cycles, and sculptural ornamentation. In the residence, the couple designed rooms such as the Eddasaal (Edda Hall) with motifs from Norse mythology, and in the garden they laid out tree circles, stone settings, and kitchen-garden plots.
After Bossard's death, Jutta Bossard maintained the site for decades, and in 1995 she transferred the land, buildings, and works to a foundation established together with the district of Harburg and the Kreissparkasse savings bank. The Kunststätte has been open as a museum since 1997; in 2012 it received the Europa Nostra Award for the restoration of the temple cycle.
Expert reports by the Institut für Zeitgeschichte (Institute of Contemporary History) from 2022 and 2024 place Johann Michael Bossard within a völkisch-nationalist milieu. The museum openly addresses this ambivalent worldview in its exhibitions and educational programs, and it keeps some 6,000 further works in its visible storage facility in Jesteburg.
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7School students, university students, apprentices, people with severe disabilities, recipients of ALG II (unemployment benefit) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 free |
| Visitors with disabilities | €7reduced admission |
| Students & apprentices | €7reduced admission |
| Groups (15+ people) | €9 per person15 or more people, per person |
| Combination ticket with the Freilichtmuseum am Kiekeberg | €20Adults; valid on ten consecutive days |
| Annual pass | €4012 months from date of purchase |
| Annual pass (under 30) | €20 |
| Annual pass for couples | €60 |
| Guided tour of the visible storage facility | €5on the last Sunday of the month, free for under-18s |
Admission includes the exhibitions in the Neues Atelier, the gardens, the art temple, and the Eddasaal and Urgebraus in the residence and studio house. Members of the friends' association (€40, couples €60 per year) get free admission. Free admission and guided tours on Heritage Day (Tag des offenen Denkmals).
The listed buildings and the garden are only partially accessible; contacting the museum in advance is recommended. The Kunststätte Bossard bus stop (approx. 450 m away) is accessible.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Children's studio (Tue and Wed afternoons, from age 6), holiday courses, and children's birthday parties with a tour and creative part (from age 6, approx. 2–3 hrs). According to the visitor rules, children under 12 should not be left unattended.
Kunststätte Bossard · 450 m
Sat, Sun, and public holidays KVG line 4148 to the Kunststätte Bossard stop (approx. 450 m); from July 15 to October 15 free Heide-Shuttle (Ring 3) from Buchholz station to the same stop. Otherwise, from Buchholz (Nordheide) station take HVV buses 4207 and 4630 to Lüllau/Wiedenhof or Lüllau/Kohlhoff, then about a 1.7 km signposted walk.
By car via the A7 (exit Ramelsloh) or the A1 (exit Dibbersen), brown signs from Buchholz. By bike from Buchholz station about 7 km on the bike path along the K 83.
Get directionsCafé in the courtyard with soups and homemade cake (March/April Sat–Sun, May to mid-October Tue–Sun, each 13:00–17:00, also on some public holidays); otherwise a self-service station. Museum shop in the Neues Atelier. Dogs are not allowed on the grounds.
Up to 200 guests.
Neues Atelier (170 m², 80–100 guests, grand piano), art temple (up to 80), Eddasaal (up to 40; currently not available for booking due to renovation of the residence), Jägerstübchen (15), café courtyard (50), gardens for up to 200 people, monastery garden, and tree temple. Catering, music, and guided tours on request; wedding dates through the Jesteburg registry office (Standesamt).
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tour "Gesamtkunstwerk kompakt" April–October usually Tue and Thu at 14:00 and Sat and Sun at 12:00, November–March Wed and Sun at 12:00; tours of the private rooms April–October usually Wed, Sat, and Sun at 14:00; registration requested (04183 5112). Free Bloomberg Connects museum app for self-guided exploration. School programs: guided tour €45, with a hands-on session €55 plus materials. |
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