Museum Ostwall

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum came into being in 1947, when the city of Dortmund decided to set up an exhibition hall for modern art at Ostwall 7. The first director, Leonie Reygers, opened it in 1949 with a show by the Dortmunder Künstlerbund (Dortmund artists' association) and a memorial exhibition for August Macke. With the purchase of industrialist Karl Gröppel's Expressionist collection in 1957, the city laid the foundation of the museum's own holdings; in 1961 Reygers set up one of the first children's painting studios in a German museum.

Under Eugen Thiemann (1967–1988), the museum opened up to Fluxus, happenings, and action art. His successor Ingo Bartsch acquired large parts of the Cremer and Feelisch collections, which still define the museum's focus on Fluxus and concrete poetry today.

From 2005, Kurt Wettengl pursued the idea of the museum as a "power plant" and in 2010 oversaw the move into the Dortmunder U, the former fermentation and storage tower of the Union brewery converted into a cultural center. There the museum presents its approximately 7,500 works on Levels 4 and 5 in changing collection displays, supplemented by temporary exhibitions on Level 6.

Regina Selter has directed the museum since early 2024. Recent acquisitions address social issues such as migration, gender, and ecology and broaden the perspective beyond Western Europe and North America; since September 2026, the collection presentation "let's talk" has explicitly invited visitors to talk about art.

Highlights

• Max Beckmann: "Selbstbildnis mit Zigarette" (Self-Portrait with Cigarette) (1947)
• Expressionism with works by August Macke, Emil Nolde, Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Käthe Kollwitz
• Fluxus collection with works by Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, and George Brecht
• Wolf Vostell's interactive work "T.E.K." (accessible on selected Sundays)
• Immersive room "dérive" based on Macke's "Großer Zoologischer Garten" (Large Zoological Garden)
• Located in the Dortmunder U with a freely accessible rooftop terrace

Permanent exhibitions

• let's talk. sprechen über kUNSt – A collection presentation on Levels 4 and 5 that uses artworks as prompts for conversations about contentious social questions, with the dialogue room "Flux Inn" and a quiet room. Planned to run until spring 2029.
• dérive – der Große Zoologische Garten – Immersive installation of film, 3D scans, and sound that lets visitors experience August Macke's 1913 painting anew as a city stroll.

Founded

1947

Operated by

Stadt Dortmund

Director

Regina Selter

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

The Museum Ostwall's collection presentations on Levels 4 and 5, the MO_Schaufenster, and the immersive room "dérive" are free. Temporary and special exhibitions on Level 6 of the Dortmunder U usually charge admission (reduced for under-18s, students, and trainees, among others; free for children under 6 and with the RuhrKultur.Card and Dortmund-Pass, among others).

Accessibility

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

Certified under "Reisen für Alle" (since 2022). Step-free access, all levels reachable by elevator; Euro key restrooms on the first floor and on Level 5; seven accessible parking spaces in the parking garage. Induction loop in the cinema, high-contrast signage, some programs in Easy Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family Sunday at the Dortmunder U on the first Sunday of every month with children's tours and free hands-on activities; holiday programs with registration, workshops for ages 4 and up or 6 and up; creative children's birthday parties can be booked.

Getting there & parking

Approx. 5 minutes on foot from the main station: at the main entrance, turn right along the Wall (ring road), then cross at the Brinkhoffstraße/Königswall intersection.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café & Bar MOOG on the first floor, restaurant BRAUTURM on Level 7. Coat check and lockers on the first floor. Rooftop terrace free to access.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Rooms in the Dortmunder U (not specifically the museum's) can be rented for anniversaries, weddings, parties, conventions, and festivals through the external partner Panurama.

Plan your visit