Mercateum

About the museum

The Mercateum goes back to cultural scholar Wolfgang Knabe, who, with the Mercator research group, retraced the historic trade routes of Augsburg and Nuremberg merchants on several overland and sea expeditions. The globe was first presented in Munich in 2005 to mark 500 years of trade with India; funded by the Bavarian State Chancellery and the town of Königsbrunn, it has stood on Alter Postweg in Königsbrunn as a publicly accessible museum since 2008.

The building itself is the main exhibit: a sphere made of a wood and steel structure with a two-layer, air-supported membrane shell. Across some 452 square meters it bears the world map drawn by the Spanish cosmographer Diego Ribero in 1529, enlarged about 260 times so that countless place names and details become visible. In 2026 the globe received a new outer shell and was closed until July for the work.

Inside, an exhibition on five staggered levels tells the story of the India trade and how Swabian trading houses maintained branches in America, Africa and Asia in the 16th century. Exhibits include replicas of trade goods from a Portuguese East Indiaman that sank in 1533, whose wreck was discovered off the coast of Namibia in 2008. Since 2008 the supporting association has also awarded the Mercateum Prize for research on historic long-distance trade routes.

Highlights

• Walk-in globe with Diego Ribero's world map (1529)
• Map printed on around 452 m² of membrane shell
• Exhibition on the global trade of Swabian merchants in the 16th century
• Replica cargo of a Portuguese East Indiaman from 1533
• Guided tours by a volunteer museum team

Permanent exhibitions

• Abenteuer Welthandel – Written and pictorial documents on five levels inside the globe show how Swabian merchants entered the India trade in the 16th century and established trading relationships around the world.

Founded

2005

Operated by

Mercator-Forschungsgruppe e.V.

Director

Wolfgang Knabe

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

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

Exhibition on five staggered levels; no information on accessibility available.

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit