Special exhibition
Olivia Viewegs Comic-Kosmos
Sketches and original drawings by the comic artist Olivia Vieweg, from the first draft to the finished book page; the comics can be leafed through on site. Running from November 2025.
Pavillon-Presse
Printing museum in one of Weimar’s oldest houses: 500 years of the art of printing with working presses, hot-metal type and guided tours.
Have only individual sections read aloud
Opening hoursAdmission €6 Partially accessible
Current exhibitions
About the museum
The Pavillon-Presse is named after the neighbouring Rococo pavilion, which locals also call the Goethe Pavilion. The court printing house once worked in the surrounding area, and from the mid-19th century the site developed into a publishing and printing location: Panses Verlag printed the Allgemeine Thüringische Landeszeitung on Scherfgasse until the Second World War.
After parts of the industrial buildings had been demolished around the time of the political change, the association Pavillon-Presse Weimar was founded in 1990 out of the citizens’ movement, to halt the decay and to use the place to revive the neighbourhood. After the renovation of one of the oldest surviving houses in the city, the museum has been working at Scherfgasse 5 since 1992. It is run by the non-profit association and is financed by donations, membership fees, admission fees and grants from the City of Weimar.
The house sees itself as a living museum for the cultural techniques of writing, reading and printing. On show and in use are printing forms, around 1,000 historic hand-set typefaces of lead and wood, numerous working machines from several centuries – from the platen press to the toggle press – and a specialist library. The workshops for letterpress, intaglio printing, lithography and linocut are also open to artists, students and school groups. The programme is complemented by workshops, changing exhibitions on the museum’s upper floor and the annual typography conference Walbaum-Wochenende.
Highlights
- Working printing machines from the toggle press to the cylinder press
- Around 1,000 historic hand-set typefaces of lead and wood
- House tour “Journey through 500 years of the art of printing”
- Night tour by lantern light
- One of Weimar’s oldest surviving houses with a small garden
- Typography conference Walbaum-Wochenende
Permanent exhibition
- Zeitreise durch 500 Jahre Druckkunst – Workshops with functioning presses, hand, machine and photo typesetting show relief, intaglio and planographic printing since Gutenberg and the history of the printing site.
- Operated by
- Pavillon-Presse Weimar e.V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Young people aged 14 and over, trainees, students, volunteer service participants, military and civilian service participants, seniors, recipients of social benefits, people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 13 · Children up to 14 years free; young people aged 14 and over pay the reduced price. |
| Seniors | €4 |
| Visitors with disabilities | €4 |
| Students & apprentices | €4 |
| Groups (5+ people) | –Group tours for 5–12 people outside opening hours on request. |
| Night tour by lantern light (from 2, max. 8 people) | €15Per person, Saturday evenings by arrangement. |
Prices for the one-hour house tour (from 2 people or €12); payment on site by cash only, places can be reserved online. Special exhibitions: admission depends on the exhibition, included with a booked house tour.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Only the ground floor is accessible, with limitations.
Kids & families
Only partly suitable for kids
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 13 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The regular offers are suitable for children from 3rd grade; tours tailored to children and young people are available on request.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Goetheplatz · 50 m
Central bus stop Goetheplatz; Weimar main station about 1.4 km away.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No parking at the museum; nearest car park: Parkhaus An der Hauptpost, Gerhart-Hauptmann-Straße 3.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
Sale of printed matter and printed gift vouchers in the museum and online.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visit only with a tour or the digital guide (smartphone provided). For the 2 pm house tour it is usually enough to arrive shortly beforehand. Workshops (e.g. letterpress, lithography) for groups of 5–10 people by arrangement, duration 2–5 hours. |
