Museum betont
Museum in the historic town hall of Kellinghusen with Kellinghusen faience from the 18th and 19th centuries and historic keyboard instruments.
About the museum
The municipal museum in Kellinghusen has existed since 1953 and mainly looks after the town's ceramic heritage. In 1764, the faience painter Sebastian Heinrich Kirch, who had previously worked in several northern German manufactories, founded the first manufactory together with Kellinghusen investors; by around 1860, six workshops are documented. Good clay, firewood from the nearby forests, and the Stör River, navigable as far as the Elbe, favored production. While other faience workshops in the region gave up early, the Kellinghusen workshops survived because after the Continental Blockade they switched to inexpensive, colorful everyday tableware – plates with a yellow rim and flower or bird motifs are typical.
After years of restoration of the historic town hall and a new concept, the museum opened there in July 2024 under the name "betont". Since then, a second department has complemented the ceramics: historic keyboard instruments from the collection of the Kellinghusen collector Eric Feller, including harpsichords, clavichords, square pianos, fortepianos, and an early tangent piano. Media stations and models explain the technology and sound.
According to its own description, the museum is the only specialized ceramics museum in Schleswig-Holstein. Special exhibitions take up the town's history or contemporary ceramics, concerts and workshops bring the instruments to life, and the museum shop offers products from present-day Kellinghusen potteries.
Highlights
- Kellinghusen faience with typical yellow plate rims
- Historic keyboard instruments from the Eric Feller collection
- The only specialized ceramics museum in Schleswig-Holstein
- Located in the restored historic town hall
- Concerts on historic instruments
- Museum shop with ceramics from present-day Kellinghusen potteries
Permanent exhibitions
- Kellinghusener Fayencen – Forms, production, trade, and use of the faience from the six local manufactories between 1764 and around 1860, from fine decorative tableware to colorful everyday ware.
- Historische Tasteninstrumente der Sammlung Eric Feller – Harpsichords, clavichords, square pianos, and fortepianos show the technology and musical tastes of past centuries; audio and video stations make the instruments audible.
- Founded
- 1953
- Operated by
- Stadt Kellinghusen
- Director
- Jan-David Mentzel
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50Children and young people up to 18, school students, students, trainees, unemployed people, federal volunteer service participants, people with severe disabilities (from 50%), holders of a volunteer ID (Ehrenamtsausweis) |
| Children & teens | €2.50free up to age 5 · Children up to their 6th birthday free, reduced admission thereafter. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2.50companion free · Reduced from a degree of disability (GdB) of 50; a companion entered in the ID has free admission. |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3.50 per personFor groups of 10 or more, €3.50 per person, reduced groups €1.50; school groups €2 per person. |
| Families | €102 adults with up to four children. |
| Tour of the permanent exhibition | €20By prior arrangement, plus admission. |
| Faience painting demonstration | €20By a trained faience painter, plus admission. |
| Themed city walk on ceramics history | €19Per city guide for up to 25 people, plus admission; on foot only, booking through the city marketing office. |
Free admission: Free Friday: free admission for residents of Kellinghusen (with ID card) on the first Friday of the month.
Free admission for members of ICOM, the German Museums Association (Deutscher Museumsbund), the Museum Association of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, the Association of German Art Historians (Verband deutscher Kunsthistoriker), and the Federal Association of Museum Education (Bundesverband Museumspädagogik).
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- 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
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €10 · 2 adults with up to four children. |
- Hands-on stations
The exhibition uses media stations and hands-on models.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
The museum is located in the historic town hall on the market square (Am Markt 9).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi: not available
Museum shop with products from the potteries based in Kellinghusen today.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours by prior appointment; a registration form for city and museum tours is available on the website. Advice in German and English. |
