Regional museum in Emden's town hall on the Delft harbor covering the art and history of East Frisia – with an armory, the Bernuthsfeld bog body and an observation tower.
May 9, 2026 – January 31, 2027
Explores Emden's Expressionist brick buildings of the 1920s, such as the Herrentorschule and the AOK building, and their connection to the social awakening of the Weimar era.
May 9, 2026 – January 31, 2027
An immersive room with film stations and 16 panels on the politics, culture, economy and society of the first German democracy and their relevance to the present.
September 6, 2026 – January 17, 2027
The New York artist with family roots in Emden engages with wartime destruction and the loss of the Jewish community; at its center is her project bringing the railway station bunker and the destroyed synagogue into dialogue.
March 20, 2027 – August 29, 2027
A cross-border show about the Frisian king Radbod (c. 670–719) and his network around the North Sea, previously shown at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden.
The museum's roots go back to 1820, when six citizens of Emden founded the "Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst und vaterländische Altertümer" (Society for Fine Art and Patriotic Antiquities) – today 1820dieKUNST – to prevent East Frisian cultural heritage from being sold off and leaving the region. From the 1830s the society built up a library and, after moving to Große Straße in 1869, put parts of its collection on permanent display for the first time. The museum received the name "Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum" in 1934, during the Nazi era.
During World War II the holdings were evacuated in time and thus survived, while the late-16th-century town hall on the Delft was largely destroyed in 1944. After its reconstruction, the collections of the society and of the City of Emden were united there in 1962. From 2003 to 2005 the museum was remodeled at a cost of more than eight million euros and reopened with a new permanent exhibition.
Today it is run jointly by the City of Emden and 1820dieKUNST. The collection exhibition combines the municipal armory with weapons and armor from the era when Emden defended its independence, the council treasure, paintings by 17th-century Dutch masters such as Ludolf Backhuysen, art of the 20th and 21st centuries, and the archaeology of East Frisia, including the early medieval bog body "Mann von Bernuthsfeld" (Bernuthsfeld Man). The platform in the town hall tower beneath the carillon offers sweeping views over the city.
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free for children and young people up to 17. |
| Students & apprentices | –School classes: €1.50 per student over 17. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €6 per personGroup tours (up to 20 people): special exhibition 60 min. €40, permanent exhibition 90 min. €60, tour in Low German (Platt) 90 min. €60; school classes €35; hands-on activities (60–90 min.) €50. |
| Families | €14 |
| Town hall tower only | €2 |
| Combined ticket Landesmuseum (Rathaus am Delft) + Kunsthalle Emden | €14To be used within seven days. |
The price list does not specify who is eligible for reduced admission. Members of 1820dieKUNST (the membership card serves as an annual pass) and of the Freundes- und Förderkreis (friends' association) receive free admission.
According to the museum's former accessibility page, all areas except the observation tower are step-free; a large elevator connects the floors, there is an accessible restroom on the first floor, and a museum-owned rollator is available. Individually tailored tours for people with special needs on request.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €14 |
Museum tour with question sheets and a solution word for children and families; "Kids kreativ" for ages 6 to 10 on Fridays 15:30–17:00; hands-on activities for children's groups. Play areas in the café and on the museum terrace. Children under 6 only with adults; tower and elevator for children under 12 only when accompanied.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Café Nebenan (Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, lunch specials 12:30–14:30) with homemade pastries and museum terrace; Wi-Fi in the café. Museum shop "Kunst-Laden."
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Tours of the permanent and special exhibitions for individuals, groups and school classes, also in English, Dutch and Low German; OLmE app on the city's history. Group tour of the permanent exhibition 90 minutes, special exhibition 60 minutes. |
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