Museum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
New archaeology museum of the LEIZA (formerly RGZM) in its new Mainz building next to the Roman Theater – currently being set up, expected to open in 2028.
About the museum
The Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum was founded in 1852 after the German historical and antiquarian societies agreed to create a joint central institution. Its driving force and first director was the Mainz painter and antiquarian Ludwig Lindenschmit the Elder. From 1853 the museum used rooms in the Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Palace), where the first exhibition opened in 1854; by 1910 the display collection there had grown to fill numerous halls.
Lindenschmit saw the museum as a study collection that brought together originals along with faithful casts and replicas of important finds from all over Europe. This gave rise to the restoration workshops, which today are among the largest and most internationally respected of their kind. During World War II, the exhibition rooms and workshops were badly damaged, and the collection was rebuilt afterwards. The institute also includes the Museum für Antike Schifffahrt (Museum of Ancient Seafaring) in Mainz and the MONREPOS research center in Neuwied.
The permanent exhibition in the Kurfürstliches Schloss closed in June 2017. In 2022 the institute moved into a new building next to the Roman Theater on the southern edge of the old town, and since early 2023 it has been called the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA). There, the new Museum für Archäologie is taking shape on around 3,000 square meters, with the permanent exhibition “Zusammen leben” (Living Together), which explores communal life from the Neolithic to the Byzantine Empire, complemented by a study collection on the history of the institution.
Highlights
- Planned permanent exhibition “Zusammen leben” (Living Together) on around 3,000 m²
- Study collection on the history of the RGZM/LEIZA
- New building right next to the Roman Theater in Mainz
- One of Germany's oldest archaeological research museums (since 1852)
- Founded
- 1852
- Operated by
- Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
- Director
- Alexandra W. Busch
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
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: no information
- Audio description: no information
According to the LEIZA FAQ, the museums offer step-free access, elevators to all public areas, an accessible restroom (Euroschlüssel/Euro key), and portable folding stools; assistance dogs are allowed. The Römisches Theater S-Bahn station has an elevator.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Stadtpark · 50 m
S-Bahn, RE and RB trains to Mainz Römisches Theater (approx. 200 m); city bus to Stadtpark (approx. 50 m).
By car
Parking available
Parking garages nearby, all with elevators: Cinestar (Neutorstraße 2a), Tiefgarage Malakoff-Passage (Dagobertstraße), and Parkhaus Römisches Theater (Holzhofstraße 7).
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The second LEIZA museum in Mainz, the Museum für Antike Schifffahrt, is right next door and is scheduled to reopen on March 7, 2027. |
|---|
