Spicy’s Gewürzmuseum
Private spice museum in a historic warehouse in the Speicherstadt, with over 900 exhibits, a tasting station, audio guide and spice shop.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum goes back to the Hamburg spice merchant Uwe Paap, who in 1991 opened a small spice museum in an old company building on Richardstraße. Together with Viola Vierk, who like him had long worked in the international spice trade, he managed to move to the Speicherstadt in 1993. Since 2000 Viola Vierk has run the museum alone as owner and managing director.
The exhibition is on the floor of a warehouse some 130 years old in the Speicherstadt World Heritage Site; the museum has been at Sandtorkai 34 since 2012. It shows the journey of spices from cultivation through harvest and processing to the finished product and recalls Hamburg's role as one of the world's largest trading hubs for spices.
The collection includes more than 900 exhibits from five centuries, among them tools, sacks and means of transport, some of which were gathered on the founders' travels. Raw spices and culinary herbs may be touched, smelled and tasted at a tasting station, where around 130 spices and blends are now on offer.
Highlights
- Exhibition on a historic warehouse floor in the Speicherstadt
- More than 900 exhibits from five centuries of spice history
- Tasting station with around 130 spices and blends
- Free audio guide in German, English and French
- Spice shop with house blends, open even without museum admission
Permanent exhibition
- Gewürzuniversum – Permanent exhibition on the history and processing of spices, with over 900 exhibits, around 50 raw spices to smell and touch, and a tasting station.
- Founded
- 1991
- Operated by
- Spicy’s Gewürzmuseum GmbH
- Director
- Viola Vierk
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6Hamburg Card holders, pupils, students, trainees, people doing civilian or military service, pensioners, severely disabled people, as well as unemployed persons and social welfare recipients |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 3 · Children aged 4 to 15, including a small bag of gummy bears. |
| Seniors | €6Pensioners pay the reduced rate. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6Severely disabled people pay the reduced rate. |
| Students & apprentices | €6Pupils, students and trainees pay the reduced rate. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €6 per personPer person, including pepper as the admission ticket. |
| Families | €152 adults and 2 children, including 2 packets of pepper and 2 bags of gummy bears. |
| Group lecture for adults (from 10 people, flat fee) | €50With advance registration |
| Group lecture for pupils (from 10 people, flat fee) | €30Except vocational schools and universities; with advance registration |
| Spice quiz for groups (from 10 people, flat fee) | €50With advance registration |
Each adult admission ticket includes a packet of pepper; each child's ticket includes a small bag of gummy bears. Online tickets are sold by Reederei Abicht.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: not available
- 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
The museum is on the third floor of a historic warehouse and can only be reached via a stairwell; there is no elevator. Inside the exhibition everything is spacious and on one level, so wheelchairs and strollers can be used, provided the stairs can be managed.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €15 · 2 adults and 2 children, including 2 packets of pepper and 2 bags of gummy bears. |
- Hands-on stations
Designed as an experience museum for all ages: spices may be touched, smelled and tasted, and children receive gummy bears with their ticket. Strollers can be used inside the rooms, but the museum can only be reached by stairs.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie)
From the main station, take the U3 to Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie) or bus line 6 to Auf dem Sande (Speicherstadt); from the city center it is also about a 15-minute walk.
The museum is in the middle of the Speicherstadt, just a few steps from the Elbphilharmonie.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Spice shop with house blends, open daily even without museum admission.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Exclusive openings for groups are possible by arrangement, including for presentations, interviews or film shoots (from 17:00, or by arrangement all day on Mondays).
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | no |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, FR) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The free audio guide runs on your own smartphone or tablet (QR codes on site), so bring your own headphones. Instead of guided tours, groups of 10 or more can book lectures and a spice quiz with advance registration. Animals may not be brought along. Events such as the Hanseatische Pfeffersacktour also take place. |
