Museum Plagiarius

Small museum in Solingen’s Südpark that displays more than 350 original products right next to their knockoffs and raises awareness of product piracy.

Opening hoursAdmission from €4

Website Directions

About the museum

The idea came from industrial designer Rido Busse: in 1977, at the Frankfurt spring trade fair, he discovered a cheap copy of a letter scale designed by his studio. Annoyed by the imitators, he created the negative award “Plagiarius,” whose trophy is a black-lacquered garden gnome with a golden nose. Since 1986 the association Aktion Plagiarius e. V. has presented it annually to manufacturers and distributors of particularly brazen imitations.

To display the collection of award-winning knockoffs that had grown over the years on a permanent basis, Busse founded the association Museum Plagiarius in 2001. The exhibition was first shown in Berlin from 2001 to 2003. As part of the structural development program Regionale 2006, it found a new home in the Südpark of the “Blade City” of Solingen, where the museum opened on March 26, 2007.

The permanent exhibition juxtaposes more than 350 originals and their copies from many industries – from household goods, clothing, furniture, and toys to cosmetics and medicines, all the way to car rims and chainsaws. The new award winners are added every year. The nonprofit association runs the museum largely with volunteers and aims to make consumers, companies, and policymakers aware of the damage and risks caused by counterfeits, through guided tours, school programs, and occasional events.

Highlights

More than 350 originals and knockoffs in direct comparison
Collection of all winners of the “Plagiarius” negative award since 1977
Hands-on guessing table: original or fake?
Plagiarius trophy: black gnome with a golden nose

Permanent exhibitions

Original statt Plagiat – die Plagiarius-Ausstellung – More than 350 original products and their imitations from many industries, each displayed side by side and supplemented every year with the new Plagiarius award winners.

Founded: 2007
Operated by: Museum Plagiarius e. V.

Admission & discounts

Adults	€4
Reduced	€3Pupils, apprentices, university students, and Federal Volunteer Service participants aged 19 to 25, recipients of Bürgergeld (basic income support) and comparable social security benefits (SGB), people with a disability degree (GdB) of 80 or more
Children & teens	freefree up to age 18 · Children and teens up to 18 years are admitted free.
Seniors	–No senior discount listed.
Visitors with disabilities	€3companion free · Reduced admission for a disability degree (GdB) of 80 or more; companion free.
Students & apprentices	€3Ages 19 to 25
Groups (10+ people)	€3 per personAdult groups of 10 or more people. School groups with two accompanying adults free. Guided tours by registration only, plus admission: Fridays €40, Saturdays, Sundays, and outside opening hours €50, tours in English €15 extra.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Kids’ admission	free up to age 18

Hands-on stations

At the guessing table, originals and counterfeits may be picked up and compared.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Solingen Grünewald · 5-min walk

S-Bahn S7 to Solingen Grünewald station (about every 20 minutes) or trolleybus 682; from there about a 5-minute walk through the Südpark.

By car

Parking available

Directly in front of the museum, on parking strips and parking lots in the Südpark, and on signposted parking lots along the tracks.

Via the B 229; in Solingen partly signposted "Museum Plagiarius".

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Dining in the Südpark.

Events & venue rental

Events and special requests by arrangement.

Plan your visit

Guided tours	yes
School programs	yes
Good to know	Guided tours by registration only (by phone or email), also in English and outside opening hours. The maximum group size is stated inconsistently (30 people on the visitor page, 25 on the tours page). Tours for school classes with material notes for teachers.