Stadtmuseum Amberg

About the museum

The museum goes back to the local history museum founded by Clement Schinhammer in 1902. It was initially housed in the town hall and already comprised a good 500 pictures and objects in the year it was founded. In 1937 it reopened in the Klösterl, part of the former electoral palace complex; during the Second World War it remained closed and reopened in 1948. In the 1970s the local history museum became the Stadtmuseum.

In 1982 the city council decided to move to the Baustadel, a two-winged building from the 15th and 16th centuries. It once served the city as a storage place for building materials and grain and as an arsenal for cannons, weapons and city flags. After the conversion, in which the granary floors, wooden ceilings and roof truss were preserved, the museum was partially opened on July 7, 1989; further departments were added in 1992. At the beginning of the 2000s the old building received a modern extension with a foyer, when Amberg hosted the Bavarian State Exhibition "Der Winterkönig" (The Winter King) in 2003.

Since 2005, new areas have been created, for example on the electoral period and the townscape. From 2005 to 2014 the Archaeological Museum of the Upper Palatinate was also a guest in the building. In 2016 the Amberg artist Michael Mathias Prechtl received a larger exhibition of his own, and in 2019 a department on Josef Friedrich Schmidt, the inventor of "Mensch ärgere Dich nicht", followed.

Today the permanent exhibition, with 13 departments, is spread over around 1400 square meters and five floors – from a grocery shop and pharmacy through clothing and crafts to a rifle factory, faience and enamelware. The building also houses the Stadtgalerie ALTE FEUERWACHE with contemporary art from eastern Bavaria.

Highlights

• Exhibition "A Tribute to Michael Mathias Prechtl"
• Department on "Mensch ärgere Dich nicht" and its inventor
• Historic Baustadel from the 15th/16th century
• Furnished pharmacy, grocery shop and dentist's office
• Amberg faience, earthenware and enamel tableware
• Stadtgalerie ALTE FEUERWACHE with free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• A Tribute to Michael Mathias Prechtl – Over 100 drawings, paintings and posters by the illustrator, who was born in Amberg, provide an overview of his work.
• Das Kurfürstliche Amberg – The department on the first floor tells of Amberg as the residence and government city of the Upper Palatinate between 1329 and 1803.
• Mensch ärgere Dich nicht® – Since 2019, one area has been devoted to Josef Friedrich Schmidt of Amberg and the board game he invented.

Founded

1902

Operated by

Stadt Amberg

Director

Dr. Julia Riß

Admission & discounts

The Stadtgalerie ALTE FEUERWACHE in the same building is free. Tickets can also be booked online.

Accessibility

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

Entrance at ground level. Because of the historic building, only part of the permanent exhibition is accessible: the first floor ("Gesammelte Zeiten", "Das kurfürstliche Amberg") as well as, via elevator and platform lift, the Prechtl exhibition, "Mensch ärgere Dich nicht®", the special exhibition rooms and the Stadtgalerie. Tactile city map, tours in German Sign Language, in Plain Language, for blind and visually impaired people and for people with dementia; website in Easy Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Hands-on and media stations, museum booklets with puzzles for 3- to 12-year-olds, Actionbound rallies, play tables with "Mensch ärgere Dich nicht", family action days, holiday programs and creative workshops ("Kleine Werkkantine"). Stroller parking area; with a stroller, the first floor and, via elevator, parts of the second floor are accessible. Breastfeeding welcome.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A6 (exit Amberg-West, continue on the B 299) or the A93 (exit Schwandorf/Amberg, continue on the B 85); in Amberg follow the signs for the city center. GPS: 49.44395, 11.85908.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Museum café with an espresso bar in the foyer (non-alcoholic drinks); packed snacks brought from home may be eaten there and in the inner courtyard. Museum shop, lockers at the ticket desk, BayernWLAN in the foyer.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit