Exhibition venue of Goethe University in a villa on the Museumsufer, combining art and science in changing exhibitions.
October 2, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Short show for the Book Fair: painter Johannes Heisig responds with paintings and a new series to the work of writer Wolfgang Hilbig; admission at your own discretion.
November 6, 2026 – May 30, 2027
Artists such as Katie Paterson and Armin Linke meet astrophysicists from Goethe University and ask about humanity's place in the universe.
The museum was opened on September 24, 2000, by the nonprofit Stiftung Giersch as "Haus Giersch – Museum Regionaler Kunst" (Museum of Regional Art); the initiative came from the Frankfurt entrepreneurs Carlo and Karin Giersch. The aim was a venue for little-researched topics in the art and cultural history of the Rhine-Main region. From 2005 it was simply called Museum Giersch.
It is housed in a three-story Neoclassical villa on the Sachsenhausen bank of the Main, built in 1910 for the Holzmann family of building contractors and later used by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, among others. The foundation acquired it from the city in 1998 and had it converted into a museum in line with heritage protection requirements. The wood-paneled living rooms on the first floor have been preserved, while the upper floors serve as flexible exhibition cabinets; in the garden stands a duck fountain with bronze figures by August Gaul.
Initially the focus was on 19th- and early 20th-century painting from the region; later sculpture, photography, prints, and contemporary art were added. To mark the 100th anniversary of Goethe University, the foundation handed the museum over to the university in 2014; it has borne the university's name since 2015 and the abbreviation MGGU since 2021.
Today, without a permanent exhibition of its own, the museum sees itself as a forum for art and science: temporary exhibitions take up the university's research topics, such as climate change, housing, or astrophysics, and are accompanied by guided tours, workshops, and talks. Between exhibitions the museum is closed for installation.
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Students (except Goethe University), unemployed people, people with severe disabilities, groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Under 18 free; children under 14 only when accompanied by an adult. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount mentioned; holders of a validated U3L (University of the Third Age) card free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5companion free · Reduced; companion free. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Free for students of Goethe University, art history students, and students of the HfMDK, the HfG Offenbach, and the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personReduced price from 10 people. Group tour (1 hr., up to 15 people) €90 plus admission; in a foreign language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French) €20 surcharge; registration at vermittlung@mggu.de, tel. 069 1382101-22. School classes free. |
| Families | –No family ticket; under 18 free. |
| MuseumsuferTicket (2 days) | €21reduced €12, family €32 |
| MuseumsuferCard (1 year) | €89reduced €45, family €150 |
"Pay what you want" applies to the exhibition "Einst war ich älter" (October 2–18, 2026). Free admission with, among others, the MuseumsuferCard/-Ticket, Goethe-Card, Goethe University alumni card, ICOM card, press card, or Ehrenamts-Card (volunteer card), for refugees, and via the Klima-Taler app. On Satourday, only adults pay.
The entire building is accessible; access for wheelchairs, rollators, and strollers via an elevator behind the entrance stairs (registering a companion at the ticket desk is recommended). Wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement. Seating and folding stools on the second floor. Tours in Plain Language and with German Sign Language (DGS) interpretation can be booked.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Creative workshops on the exhibitions and family workshops during Satourday; children's birthday parties with a guided tour and workshop (2.5 hours, up to 15 children). Strollers allowed. Children under 14 only when accompanied by an adult.
Friedensbrücke
Tram 12, 15, 16, 17, 21 to Friedensbrücke; U1, U2, U3, U8 to Schweizer Platz; about a 15-minute walk from Hauptbahnhof (main station).
Parking available
No museum parking; the museum recommends the parking garages at Walter-Kolb-Straße 16, Willy-Brandt-Platz 5, and Untermainanlage 1.
Museum shop with catalogs and postcards, according to the Museumsufer portal; online sales via the Goethe campus shop.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public guided tours, curator-led and dialogue tours according to the events calendar; workshops usually require registration (vermittlung@mggu.de). |
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