City museum in the Altes Rathaus (old town hall) on Alter Markt: a thousand years of Potsdam history with free admission, plus art and special exhibitions.
May 16, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Models, competition designs, photos, and artworks show how the design of Alter Markt has been fought over since its destruction in 1945; visitors can explore the designs themselves at planning tables.
May 30, 2026 – January 3, 2027
More than 30 oil paintings, watercolors, prints, and glass paintings that the Berlin plein-air painter created within a single year directly on Alter Markt.
October 7, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Free special exhibition with interactive models in which young people from a Potsdam comprehensive school design their wishes for the city's public squares.
August 26, 2026 – October 25, 2026
External panel exhibition in the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek (city and state library, Am Kanal 47) on the development of the northern part of the square since 1945; free admission, during the library's opening hours.
The museum goes back to a museum association founded by the citizens of Potsdam in April 1909. The first objects were initially shown in a few rooms of the Altes Rathaus, and as early as 1910 the collection moved to Brauerstraße. During World War I the city took over the holdings; between the wars the city museum grew to several departments at various locations, including a garrison museum in the Marstall (royal stables).
During World War II many objects were moved to safe storage, yet large parts of the collection and almost all inventories were lost in the bombing raid of April 1945. The museum reopened in 1946, from 1958 as a district local history museum (Bezirksheimatmuseum), and from 1984 in the former Ständehaus. After 1990 the natural history and cultural history collections were separated; the latter moved to Benkertstraße in 1999.
In 2010 the Potsdam Museum and Potsdam Forum merged to form today's “Forum für Kunst und Geschichte” (Forum for Art and History). After the conversion of the Altes Rathaus, the museum returned in 2012 to its founding site on Alter Markt; since 2013 the permanent exhibition “Potsdam. Eine Stadt macht Geschichte” (Potsdam: A City Makes History) has told the story of the city's development from the Middle Ages to the present with around 500 original objects. It is complemented by special exhibitions on art and city history, as well as collections of fine art, photography, posters, militaria, and everyday culture.
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children and young people up to and including age 18 also get free admission to the special exhibitions. |
|---|---|
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · People with severe disabilities with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more free, and with the “B” marker their companion too; reduced below GdB 50. |
| Students & apprentices | €3Reduced price for special exhibitions (school students, apprentices, university students). |
| Groups (6+ people) | €5 per personSpecial exhibitions: groups of 6 or more €5 per person. Guided tours on request. |
| Special exhibition “Platz____ für Neues? Visionen für den Alten Markt 1945–2025” | €6Reduced €3; until January 3, 2027. |
| Special exhibition “Christopher Lehmpfuhl | Alter Markt Potsdam” | €6Reduced €3; until January 3, 2027. |
| Combination ticket for both special exhibitions | €9Reduced €5. |
| Potsdam Museum annual pass | €35Reduced €25; valid for one year, unlimited visits, non-transferable. |
| Annual ticket for 4 museums | €14One adult with up to 2 children (up to age 18), one visit each to the Potsdam Museum, Brandenburg Museum, Filmmuseum, and Naturkundemuseum Potsdam; valid for one year from purchase. |
Free admission: FREI-Tag (free day): on four Fridays a year, free admission to the Potsdam Museum, Brandenburg Museum, Filmmuseum, and Naturkundemuseum Potsdam (next date: December 18, 2026).
The permanent city history exhibition and the special exhibition “Platz da!” are free. Special exhibitions €6, reduced €3 (school students, apprentices, university students, job seekers, recipients of basic income support, people with severe disabilities below GdB 50). Museum gift vouchers available at the ticket desk.
Exhibition rooms mostly step-free, with shallow ramps in places; elevator, electric door openers, and wheelchair-accessible restroom. Tactile city model, exhibition guide in Braille available to borrow free of charge, and bookable tours for blind and visually impaired visitors. Tours in plain language and for German learners.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
Children's tours from age 6, puzzle sheets and a museum suitcase that can be borrowed free of charge for families with children aged 6 and up, holiday workshops, craft activities and children's birthday parties. Exhibitions are largely step-free with ramps and an elevator.
Alter Markt/Landtag
Tram 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, 99 and bus 603, 605, 609, 631, 638, 639, 695 to Alter Markt/Landtag; S7/RE to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, then about an 8-minute walk across the Lange Brücke; water taxi to Lange Brücke.
Paid parking
No parking lot of its own; paid options include the P+R Bahnhofspassagen garage (Babelsberger Str. 16), the Am Kanal lot, the Am Lustgarten lot (Lustgartenwall), the Wilhelm-Galerie garage (Platz der Einheit) and the Am Neuen Markt garage.
Bicycle racks directly next to the museum.
Get directionsCafé Central in the barrel vault (Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, terrace in summer). Museum shop with catalogs and Potsdam books. Lockers; jackets and bags are not allowed in the Lehmpfuhl exhibition.
Up to 180 guests.
Event hall with technical equipment and flexible seating for conferences, receptions, readings, and concerts (up to 180 people), also outside opening hours; guided tours can be booked. Contact: vermietung@rathaus.potsdam.de.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Audio guide (German/English) for €2. Group tours in German or English on request (museumsservice@rathaus.potsdam.de, 0331 289 6807). Workshops and tours for daycare centers, after-school programs, and schools. |
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