Oldenburg's city museum in a new building opened in 2026 next to the villas of its founder Theodor Francksen – city history told interactively.
June 6, 2026 – October 18, 2026
The show on Level 3 looks back on the years of closure, when the museum was present around the city with pop-up activities, and presents an art project by students of the Herbartgymnasium.
The Stadtmuseum (city museum) goes back to the Oldenburg art collector Theodor Francksen (1875–1914). He bequeathed his collections and his two villas to the city on the condition that they be turned into a municipal museum; it was founded in 1915. Francksen's holdings include some 7,000 prints, among them nearly complete groups of works by Max Klinger and Francisco de Goya as well as Japanese color woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th centuries. For decades, the Francksen Villa of 1877 and its neighboring buildings shaped the museum with their historic living quarters.
In 1968 an extension was added, the so-called Neue Galerie. The museum closed in spring 2021 for a comprehensive renewal; the Neue Galerie was demolished in 2022 and replaced by a new building with a clinker brick facade, while restoration of the villas in keeping with their listed status began at the same time. During the roughly five-year closure, the museum appeared around the city with pop-up formats and involved residents in the planning.
On June 6 and 7, 2026, the new building opened with a large foyer, a museum café and four levels. On about 1,200 square meters of exhibition space, plus another 750 square meters for education and community, it presents a newly designed permanent exhibition on Oldenburg's city history. The historic villas are still being restored and are later to house a revised exhibition. The museum is run by the City of Oldenburg and also includes the Artothek (art lending library) and the Pulverturm (powder tower) on the Schloßwall.
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6University students, apprentices, volunteers in voluntary service programs (FSJ/BFD), Oldenburg-Pass holders, people with a severe disability, and others |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6companion free · Reduced admission for people with a severe disability. |
| Students & apprentices | €6 |
| Combination ticket with the Horst-Janssen-Museum | €14Reduced €10 |
| Combination ticket for all municipal museums | €15Reduced €11 |
| Annual pass for the municipal museums | €70Reduced €50 |
Free admission: Free admission and guided tour on the first Sunday of every month
Ticket valid for the permanent and special exhibitions. Free admission also for members of the friends' association, companions ("B" marker), press, and holders of ICOM and Museumsbund cards. Tickets online or at the museum ticket desk (tel. 0441 235-2885).
The website offers information in Easy Read German (Leichte Sprache); details on the physical accessibility of the new building had not yet been published online.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Free explorer booklet "SMO Kids" for children ages 8 and up at the ticket desk. Once a month on Saturday mornings, a family tour for discovering and joining in.
Lappan · 100 m
Lappan bus stop (nearly all city bus lines, about 100 m); Oldenburg main train station about a 5-minute walk.
Paid parking
Paid: parking bay directly in front of the museum, 91er Straße, Gottorpstraße, and downtown parking garages (e.g., Parkhaus Post on Bundesbahnweg). On Sundays there is usually enough space in the parking lot at Pferdemarkt (about 100 m) or under the railway bridge on 91er Straße.
Bike racks at the entrance.
Get directionsCafé Atrium in the new building, foyer with seating areas.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| Good to know | Media guide available on site. Public Sunday guided tour at 10:30, plus family and themed tours per the calendar; group programs through the museum's education department (tel. 0441 235-2887). Programs for daycare centers and schools are currently being developed. |
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