Museum Wiesbaden

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The roots of Museum Wiesbaden lie in the collection of the Frankfurt collector Johann Isaac Freiherr von Gerning. At the suggestion of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who visited Wiesbaden, the Duchy of Nassau purchased his artworks, antiquities and natural specimens and displayed them in the Erbprinzenpalais; 1825 is considered the founding year. The holdings gave rise to three museums, supported by the Verein für Nassauische Altertumskunde (antiquities society), the Nassauischer Verein für Naturkunde (natural history society) and the Nassauischer Kunstverein (art association).

In 1900 the three museums passed into municipal ownership. In 1913–1915 Theodor Fischer designed a joint new building on what is now Friedrich-Ebert-Allee, housing all the collections as well as rooms for temporary exhibitions. In the 1920s the art collection grew, among other things through long-term loans from the collector Heinrich Kirchhoff. In 1937 Expressionist and abstract works were confiscated; at the same time, up to 1945, director Hermann Voss acquired more than 200 paintings whose provenance is now being systematically researched.

After the war, the US military government used the building as a Central Collecting Point for looted and relocated artworks. Under director Clemens Weiler, the museum built up its important collection of works by Alexej von Jawlensky, who had spent the last two decades of his life in Wiesbaden. In 1973 the state of Hesse took over the museum.

A comprehensive renovation modernized the climate control and exhibition rooms while preserving Fischer’s architecture; today around 7,400 square meters of exhibition space are available. The museum shows art from the 12th century to the present, the Neess Art Nouveau collection and natural history theme rooms. In its anniversary year of 2025, it recorded more visitors than at any time in about 25 years.

Highlights

• Around 100 works by Alexej von Jawlensky
• Ferdinand Wolfgang Neess Art Nouveau collection with more than 500 objects
• Friedrich Heyser: Ophelia – world-famous since 2025 thanks to a Taylor Swift music video
• Natural history theme rooms on form, color, movement, time and change, with more than 1,000 butterflies
• Museum building by Theodor Fischer (1915) at the heart of Wiesbaden’s cultural mile

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlungspräsentation Kunst – Old Masters from the 12th to 18th centuries, the Neess Art Nouveau collection, classical modernism with around 100 works by Jawlensky, and art after 1945.
• Ästhetik der Natur – Natural history theme rooms on form, color, movement, time and change – with shells, butterflies, birds, fossils and copperplate engravings by Maria Sibylla Merian.

Founded

1825

Operated by

Land Hessen

Director

Andreas Henning

Visitors per year

approx. 130,986 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Saturday of the month (Free Saturday, all exhibitions)

The listed prices apply to the permanent exhibitions; special exhibitions €12, reduced €9 (including the permanent exhibitions). Public guided tours €4 plus admission (from October 1, 2026: €5), tickets at the box office. Combined discount with Museum Reinhard Ernst: a full-price ticket from one museum gets you reduced admission at the other on the same or next opening day. Free admission for, among others, members of the Friends of the Museum, ICOM, the Deutscher Museumsbund, Deutsche Bank Art Card holders, teachers preparing lessons, refugees and the press.

Accessibility

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

Accessible entrance to the right of the entrance steps, from there by elevator to the foyer. Wheelchairs, stools, buggies and baby carriers can be borrowed in the foyer (no reservations). Wheelchair-accessible restroom with a baby changing table with knee clearance on the lower level; lockers accessible by elevator. Induction loop in the lecture hall. The museum app offers a highlights tour in German Sign Language and in Easy-to-Read German. Inclusive guided tours and workshops for groups by arrangement (edu@museum-wiesbaden.de). Assistance dogs welcome. Detailed information in the “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) assessment report.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Museum workshop and drawing classes for children, open studio for families, exploring at “Natur unter der Lupe” (Nature under the Magnifying Glass), birthday parties; hands-on materials and quizzes on the exhibitions online. Buggies and baby carriers can be borrowed in the foyer, and strollers can be left at the coat check. Baby changing table in the accessible restroom in the coat check area (lower level). Children up to 12 only when accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 66, exit Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, toward the city center (Stadtmitte).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

“Trüffel Museumscafé” (Tue–Sun 11:30–17:00, Thu until 20:30) with snacks and full meals, coffee and cake; the café and bookshop can be visited without an admission ticket. Lockers taking a €1 coin on the lower level; bags larger than A4 and backpacks must be stored. Free Wi-Fi throughout the visitor areas.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 262 guests.

Spaces available for events, conferences and receptions, including catering and guided tours by museum curators. According to a previous rental page (no longer accessible at last check): lecture hall with 262 seats, Wandelhalle (promenade hall) with side wings (approx. 300 m²), café rooms, Old Library (65 m²) and Small Corner Room (80 m²). Contact according to the contact page: event coordination, +49 611 3352238. The Trüffel Museumscafé offers event catering.

Plan your visit