City history museum in the Palais Spee in the Carlstadt district: Düsseldorf from prehistoric times to the present, with art, fashion, and photography.
September 20, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Together with Heinrich Heine University, the museum commemorates the major 1926 exhibition on health, social welfare, and physical exercise – with paintings, photos, films, and archival documents.
October 5, 2026 – October 31, 2026
In the project rooms, women artists from the association VdDK*1844 present first results of their work with the museum's storerooms and collections, for example on copperplate engravings and historical postcards.
October 14, 2026 – November 1, 2026
Pictures from painting workshops and art projects by people with and without mental illness, showing which places in everyday life give them support and strength.
The impetus for its founding came in 1873 with a donation of oil paintings from the estate of Count von Stutterheim; in 1874 the city council decided to establish a Historical Museum. In the following decades it moved several times – from the Palais Hondheim to the gallery building on Burgplatz and a former barracks storehouse, and on to the Kunstgewerbemuseum (museum of applied arts) on today's Grabbeplatz. Prince Georg of Prussia supported the collection as its patron with donations, including many portraits.
In 1933 the museum was renamed Stadtmuseum and was ideologically restructured during the Nazi era. The building was destroyed in World War II, but the core of the collection, which had been moved to safety, survived. After interim stops at the Ehrenhof and Schloss Jägerhof, the museum moved in the 1960s into the Palais Spee on the southern edge of the old town, which was expanded in 1977 and again in 1991 with a new building by Niklaus Fritschi.
Today, under the direction of Susanne Anna (since 2003), the Stadtmuseum sees itself as a participatory institution where visitors join the discussion about how their city is developing. The collections range from archaeological finds through the period when Düsseldorf was a court residence and the 19th century to art, prints, fashion, and photography of the 20th and 21st centuries. One special feature is the children's drawing collection of the art educator Julo Levin, which is listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2.50School students, university students, and apprentices aged 21 and over; groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 20 · Children and young people free up to their 21st birthday, as are school groups. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · People with a 100% severe disability free; companion free if noted on the ID. |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50Reduced from age 21. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €2.50 per person |
| Families | –20% discount with the Düsseldorfer Familienkarte. |
One ticket covers the collections and the special exhibition. Free admission with, among others, the Düsseldorf Welcome Card, Düsselpass, Künstlerkarte (artist card), and Neubürgergutscheinheft (new residents' voucher booklet), as well as for members of the friends' association, ICOM, and DMB.
Step-free entrance with doorbell, elevator, accessible restroom, loaner wheelchair, mobile seating and support aids, evacuation chairs. Museum guide in Braille and large print. Public tours with sign language interpretation and for blind/visually impaired people; all tours also available individually, e.g., in plain language (Einfache Sprache). Due to construction work, the lower part of Berger Allee is currently not step-free – access is better via Citadellstraße or Bäckerstraße.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 20 |
|---|
Every Sunday at 16:00 a family program with a child-friendly tour followed by a creative session in the studio; also holiday programs and workshops. Birthday parties with themed workshops (tour and crafts) for children ages 5 or 6 and up.
U71, U72, U73, U83 to Benrather Straße; U70, U74–U79 to Heinrich-Heine-Allee
Accessible parking spaces at the museum.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours (e.g., city history, the Middle Ages, Jan Wellem, fashion history, old town walks) and workshops can be booked individually through the office, +49 211 8993738. An audio guide for the exhibition "100 Jahre GeSoLei" is available as an MP3 download. Virtual 3D tour online. |
All 13 museums in Düsseldorf All museums in North Rhine-Westphalia
Cookies help you use this website. We only load the map and statistics with your consent.