Schulmuseum Bremen

About the museum

At the end of the 1970s, the press office of the Bremen education senator suggested an exhibition “Schule gestern – Schule heute”. From this grew the Schulgeschichtliche Sammlung (school history collection), which has been housed since 1983 in the former elementary school building Auf der Hohwisch in Hastedt. In the same year a Förderverein (friends' association) was founded, and the first permanent exhibition was shown in 1987. In 2008 the house was given the name Schulmuseum Bremen.

The building opened in 1904 as a school for around 800 children and is today a listed monument. In 1996, a 1941 air-raid bunker beneath the schoolyard was rediscovered and restored. It is the only publicly accessible bunker of its kind in Bremen.

The museum holds one of the largest school history collections in Germany. From 2009 to 2025 a sponsoring association ran the house; since January 1, 2026, it has belonged to the Landesinstitut für Schule Bremen as an organizational unit.

Highlights

• Historic classroom from the imperial era
• 1941 air-raid bunker beneath the schoolyard
• Childhood and youth under National Socialism
• The three Bremen experimental schools, 1920 to 1933
• Childhood and youth after 1945 into the early 1960s

Permanent exhibitions

• Das Einmaleins der Bremer Schulgeschichte – Permanent exhibition on Bremen school history from the introduction of compulsory schooling in 1844 to the 1960s, from the imperial era through the reform schools to the postwar period.
• Der Erdbunker von 1941 – Authentic air-raid shelter beneath the schoolyard that illustrates everyday life during the war and the air war over Bremen (visit with a guided tour).
• Kindheit und Jugend im Nationalsozialismus – Objects, photos and mementos of Bremen contemporary witnesses show how young people were drawn into the Nazi system.

Founded

1983

Operated by

Landesinstitut für Schule Bremen (seit 1.1.2026)

Admission & discounts

In 2026, free admission for Bremen children and young people (the Sparkasse Bremen campaign “Kultur für Kids – kostenlos”). Prices for events and museum-education offers differ; reduced prices apply to Bremen children's groups and school classes.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum is partly accessible. For use of the elevator, please call in advance or report to the secretary's office on the raised ground floor. Low-barrier tours are offered for people with visual or hearing impairments, with a sign language interpreter and in plain language. The website provides information in Easy Language and sign language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

In the historic classroom, visitors can sit at school desks and write with slate pencils on slates. For groups there are family offers such as the historic breakfast. Bremen children and young people have free admission in 2026.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is on the schoolyard at Fährstraße.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with publications.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

The house can be used for class reunions, club outings, senior groups and family celebrations with a tour and a social gathering. A historic breakfast can also be booked.

Plan your visit