June 14, 2026 – October 11, 2026
Richard Paul Lohse
A comprehensive solo show of the Swiss painter, graphic artist, and theorist of concrete art – a highlight of the anniversary year.
Quadrat Bottrop
Museum center in Bottrop's Stadtgarten park: the world's largest public Josef Albers collection, Ice Age finds, and a sculpture park – with free admission to the collections.
Opening hoursFree admission Partially accessible Café
Current exhibitions
March 28, 2026 – November 8, 2026
50 Jahre Quadrat
The anniversary exhibition traces the development of the museum center from its founding to its international reach today.
From June 14, 2026
Arno Heinrich – Vom Bergmann zum Museumsleiter
A portrait of the founding director of the Museum für Ur- und Ortsgeschichte (Museum of Prehistory and Local History), with finds, personal objects, photos, and films shown for the first time.
November 8, 2026 – March 7, 2027
Longing for Trust / Über das Vertrauen in der Kunst
A group exhibition of 16 artistic positions since the late 1950s, including Yoko Ono, Hans Haacke, and Thomas Demand, on trust in private and social relationships.
November 29, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Jahresausstellung Bottroper Künstler:innen
This annual show in the Moderne Galerie presents recent work by artists from Bottrop.
About the museum
The Quadrat grew out of Bottrop's local history museum, which was officially founded in 1961. Former coal miner Arno Heinrich, who was self-taught, built it up over decades and, with finds from the region, turned it into one of the most important collections of Ice Age mammals in western Germany, including mammoth and woolly rhinoceros.
In 1976, Bernhard Küppers' pavilion architecture – with the Ice Age hall, foyer, and Moderne Galerie – was completed in the Stadtgarten next to a villa from 1903, and the Quadrat museum center was born. Bauhaus artist Josef Albers, a native of Bottrop, had already donated works to his hometown in 1970 when he was made an honorary citizen; after his death in 1976, his widow Anni Albers added to the gift. The Josef Albers Museum opened to house it in 1983.
With around 350 works, Bottrop today holds the largest public Albers collection in the world, including many paintings from the "Homage to the Square" series, early works, glass pictures from the Bauhaus period, and prints. It is complemented by constructivist and concrete art as well as sculptures in the surrounding park. In October 2022, a two-story extension by the Swiss architects Gigon/Guyer added around 700 square meters of exhibition space plus workshop rooms. In 2026, the Quadrat celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Highlights
- The world's largest public collection of works by Josef Albers, with numerous "Homage to the Square" paintings
- Ice Age hall with finds of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, and other Ice Age animals
- Pavilion architecture by Bernhard Küppers (1976/1983) and extension by Gigon/Guyer (2022)
- Sculpture park among the old trees of the Stadtgarten, with works by international artists
- Free admission to the collections
Permanent exhibitions
- Josef Albers Museum – Works from every phase of Josef Albers' career, from early self-portraits and Bauhaus glass pictures to the "Homage to the Square" series.
- Museum für Ur- und Ortsgeschichte – Ice Age mammals from the region, geology and paleontology, and Bottrop's local history from the Stone Age to the 20th century.
- Founded
- 1976
- Operated by
- Stadt Bottrop
- Director
- Dr. Linda Walther
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Children, young people up to 18, and school students are free, including at paid special exhibitions. |
|---|---|
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · At paid special exhibitions, free with a disability degree (GdB) of 80 or more, including one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | –Reduced rate (€4) at paid special exhibitions. |
| Groups (15+ people) | –At paid special exhibitions, reduced rate for groups of 15 or more (€4 per person). Guided tours for up to 20 people: 60 min. €70, 90 min. €100. |
| Special exhibition "Richard Paul Lohse" (until October 11, 2026) | €8Reduced €4 for university students, apprentices, groups of 15 or more, and recipients of social benefits. |
Free admission: On Fridays, free admission to paid special exhibitions for Bottrop residents.
The Josef Albers Museum, Moderne Galerie, and Museum für Ur- und Ortsgeschichte are free; the anniversary exhibition "50 Jahre Quadrat" is free as well. Admission is charged for certain special exhibitions; free admission there for, among others, refugees with a companion, press, members of ICOM/BBK/Museumsbund, and RuhrKulturCard holders. American Express is not accepted.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- 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
Most of the building is accessible (first floors, Josef Albers Museum, and gallery); elevators with door widths of 90–230 cm; loaner wheelchair available; two accessible parking spaces on the street Im Stadtgarten. Programs for people with dementia.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Kids’ birthday parties
Talks and workshops for children and teenagers, holiday programs (next one planned for 2027) and children's birthday parties for ages 7 to 12 (max. 12 children, 120 minutes).
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Quadrat
From Bottrop Hbf, take bus SB16 or 261 to ZOB Berliner Platz, then bus 251 to "Quadrat" or bus 267 to "Im Stadtgarten".
By car
Free parking
Free parking in front of the main entrance (parking disc required), more on Virchowstraße; two accessible parking spaces opposite the entrance on the street Im Stadtgarten.
- Accessible parking
Depending on your GPS, enter the old address Im Stadtgarten 20; signposted from the A 2 (exit Bottrop) and A 42 (exit Bottrop-Süd).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
Cafeteria with seating area, coffee and water for a donation. Museum shop on site and online.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | A public program of guided tours and exhibition talks is published twice a year (March/October); registration at 02041 372030. Bookable guided tours (60 min. €70, 90 min. €100, up to 20 people), color workshops based on Albers, school programs (€2–6 per child), children's birthday parties (ages 7–12), and programs for people with dementia through the art education team (02041 372023). |
