Museum Ratingen
Municipal museum in Ratingen with art after 1945, porcelain by Johann Peter Melchior, and local history – free admission on Sundays and public holidays.
About the museum
The Museum der Stadt Ratingen was founded in 1926 as a local history museum and was initially housed in the medieval townhouse on the market square. In 1977 it moved to Lintorfer Straße, where a 19th-century town house and an adjacent office building served as exhibition spaces.
As early as 1978, an extension in the typical architecture of that period, with exposed concrete and openly routed ventilation pipes, was built on Grabenstraße, right next to remains of the old city wall. A further enlargement in 1990 brought the exhibition space to about 1,600 square meters; in 2012 the building was technically modernized. Wiebke Siever has directed the museum since 2019.
The art collection, begun in 1980, now comprises more than 700 works with a focus on works on paper. The guiding theme is the engagement with nature and landscape – from painters of the Düsseldorf School to Peter Brüning, Joseph Beuys, or Cy Twombly, as well as many artists connected with the Düsseldorf art academy. In addition there are the estates of the sculptors Maria Fuss and Doris Rücker.
A second focus is the porcelain modeler Johann Peter Melchior, born in what is now Ratingen's district of Lintorf, whose figures from Höchst, Frankenthal, and Nymphenburg are on view in an extensive collection. The city history exhibition spans finds from the time of the Neanderthals, the granting of town rights in 1276, and the Cromford textile mill, up to industrial products of the 20th century.
Highlights
- Art after 1945 with works by Peter Brüning, Joseph Beuys, and Cy Twombly
- Porcelain figures by Johann Peter Melchior
- City history from the Stone Age to industrialization
- Estates of the sculptors Maria Fuss and Doris Rücker
- Free admission on Sundays and public holidays
Permanent exhibitions
- Kunst nach 1945 – Changing presentations from the municipal art collection, exploring nature and landscape in painting, drawing, prints, and sculpture.
- Ratingen · Stadt · Geschichte – City history tour from early traces of settlement through the Middle Ages and Cromford to products of Ratingen's industry such as the licensed Vespa scooter.
- Johann Peter Melchior – Porcelain figures by the master modeler, born in Lintorf, from his years of work in Höchst, Frankenthal, and Nymphenburg.
- Founded
- 1926
- Operated by
- Stadt Ratingen
- Director
- Wiebke Siever
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3School students, university students, trainees, recipients of benefits under SGB II or XII (German social code), and holders of the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card) |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 6 · Children up to age 6 free; school students pay the reduced price. |
| Students & apprentices | €3 |
| Groups | –Private guided tours for groups of up to 25 people (approx. 1 hour): weekdays €60, weekends and public holidays €70, in foreign languages from €70, each plus reduced admission per person. |
| Lunchtime tour "Mittags im Museum" (Thu 12:30) | €5including reduced admission |
Free admission: Admission is free on Sundays and public holidays.
Free admission also applies to members of the Freunde und Förderer des Museum Ratingen (friends and supporters of the museum), the Deutscher Museumsbund, ICOM, the Verband Deutscher Kunsthistoriker, and the Ratinger Puppen- und Spielzeugverein.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Accessible for people with walking disabilities and wheelchair users. The workshop "Stadtgeschichte mit allen Sinnen" (city history with all the senses), with scent and tactile objects, can also be booked as an inclusive program.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
- Kids’ birthday parties
Open museum workshop for children aged 6 and up on the first Saturday of every month (11:30–13:30); three-day holiday courses during the Easter, summer, and fall holidays (each 9:00–12:00). Children's birthday parties with a workshop (120 minutes, €150 including materials), registration at 02102 550-4184.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Parking garage shared with the Medienzentrum. Free parking at the Hallenbad/Hauser Ring, about a 7-minute walk.
The museum is located on the edge of Ratingen's old town near remains of the city wall; a bus stop is nearby.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Coffee and light refreshments in the foyer, a green inner courtyard in summer; the café in the neighboring Medienzentrum offers a larger selection. Museum shop with catalogs, art postcards, posters, gifts, and children's items.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 40 guests.
Rooms for birthdays, anniversaries, and other private celebrations (room use €100, guided tour or workshop €60, catering on request). Civil wedding ceremonies for parties of up to 40 people, optionally with a sparkling wine reception (additional room rental €100).
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public short tour "Mittags im Museum" every Thursday at 12:30 (30 minutes) through the current exhibition. Private tours for up to 25 people by arrangement. Workshops are available for schools; the museum is an educational partner of North Rhine-Westphalia (Bildungspartner NRW). |
