Stadtmuseum Fürth
Town museum in the former Ottoschule: over 1,000 years of Fürth town, economic and social history with media and scent stations.
About the museum
The foundation of the municipal collection was the estate of the Fürth merchant and parliamentarian Conrad Gebhardt (1791–1864). From 1937 it could be seen publicly for the first time in the "Altes Krankenhaus" (Old Hospital); in 1945 this exhibition ended because the rooms were needed to accommodate refugees.
In 1981 the Stadtmuseum moved into the freshly renovated Burgfarrnbach Palace on the western edge of town, where it remained until 2006. The remote location, however, attracted only a few visitors, and so the wish grew for a modern museum near the city center.
In March 2010 the museum opened in the former Ottoschule, a late Neoclassical sandstone building of 1867–1869, where personalities such as Jakob Wassermann and Ludwig Erhard once sat at school desks. During the conversion, apartments and the museum were united under one roof. Until the end of 2015 the museum carried the name addition "Ludwig Erhard", which was dropped in view of the new Ludwig-Erhard-Zentrum.
The permanent exhibition "Treffpunkt Geschichte" (Meeting Point History), revised in 2018, leads along a timeline from the first mention in 1007 to the present. The focus is on the rise from market town to industrial city – with metal beaters, mirror and toy makers as well as the first German railway – and on the social history of the 19th and 20th centuries, conveyed with originals, media and scent stations and a VR headset.
Highlights
- Timeline through over 1,000 years of town history since the first mention in 1007
- Scent stations, for example on the Thirty Years' War
- Virtual time travel through 18th-century Fürth with a VR headset
- Touch table on urban development with historical and present-day aerial photos
- Departments on the mirror, metal beating and toy industries as well as on the Ludwigseisenbahn
Permanent exhibitions
- Treffpunkt Geschichte – A tour in ten themed areas through Fürth's history – from the Dreiherrschaft (triple rule) through crafts, industrialization and transport to the Nazi era, the economic miracle and the present.
- Founded
- 1937
- Operated by
- Stadt Fürth (Stadtarchiv und Museen der Stadt Fürth)
- Director
- Dr. Martin Schramm (Museumsleitung)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Children and those entitled to concessions |
| Children & teens | €3Children pay the reduced admission. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personAdult groups of 10 or more €3 per person, school classes as well as children's and youth groups €1 per person, each plus tour fee. |
| Families | €7At most 2 adults with children |
| Abend-Kultur (Evening Culture) (1st Thursday of the month, 19:00) | €7Reduced €5; also valid for the exhibitions on the day of the event, advance sale only at the museum ticket desk |
Cash only. Special events and individual special exhibitions have their own admission prices.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
Exhibition and event rooms as well as restrooms are accessible by elevator; assistance dogs are allowed. Certified under "Reisen für Alle" since 2020. Tour "Anfassen erwünscht!" (Touching Welcome!) for blind and visually impaired people with touch and scent stations (booking 0911 974-3733). The media guide offers a tour in Plain Language and can be equipped with an induction loop.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Family ticket | €7 · At most 2 adults with children |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
Museum bag with a "Kinderkistchen" (children's box) for families with children aged 4 to 8 (rental fee €3): at six stations you craft, smell and knead. Discovery booklet "Mit Frau Fürth durchs Stadtmuseum" (Through the Stadtmuseum with Frau Fürth) for elementary school children (€2 including pencil), children's tour in the media guide and smartphone quiz. For children's groups aged 6 and up, tours with hands-on parts such as a writing workshop, marketplace model building or metal stamping.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Mathildenstraße
Bus 172 to the stop Mathildenstraße directly at the museum; U-Bahn to Fürth Hauptbahnhof or Rathaus, from each about 5 minutes on foot.
By car
Paid parking
Parkhaus Mathildenstraße (Apcoa) opposite the museum. For museum events, a reduced evening rate of €4 applies there if the parking ticket is stamped at the museum ticket desk.
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
Museum café with a fair-trade selection, also accessible without visiting the exhibition; museum shop; free Wi-Fi.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Up to 75 guests.
Conference room (75 m²) with projector, screen, laptop and lectern for workshops, seminars, conferences and smaller private celebrations: up to 75 people in rows, 24 at tables, 26 in horseshoe layout; on request with foyer and catering. Inquiries with several weeks' lead time.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Media guide for €2 with four tours (adults in German and English, children, Plain Language); headphones can be borrowed or you can use your own. Group tours last 30, 60 or 90 minutes (€30, €40 or €50 plus admission) and must be booked at least two weeks in advance; outside opening hours with four weeks' lead time and a surcharge from €50. Museum quiz in the smartphone browser for three age groups. School classes: tours with practical hands-on components, free in 2026 for 4th grades of Fürth elementary schools. |
