Town museum in the late medieval Kornhaus in Tübingen’s old town, with a Lotte Reiniger exhibition, town history and changing exhibitions.
Through February 14, 2027
Anniversary show on Lotte Reiniger’s silhouette film, the oldest surviving feature-length animated film, with originals from her estate and media stations; the film is screened on site.
Through November 8, 2026
Educational exhibition with listening stations and interviews that questions old images of HIV and AIDS and campaigns against stigmatization; free group tours through the Aidshilfe Tübingen-Reutlingen.
The museum’s roots go back to the 1890s, when Mayor Julius Gös began acquiring historical views of the town and personally oversaw the development of the municipal collection. The holdings were first shown in the Rathaus (town hall), later in Hohentübingen Castle and, from the late 1960s, in the Theodor-Haering-Haus on Neckarhalde, where a fire damaged parts of the collection in 1989.
The Kornhaus was refurbished as the new home. It originated as a covered grain market built on the Ammer canal in 1453, received a cross wing in 1512 and had stories added in 1564 and 1607. Later it was used by schools, the fire department, the Red Cross and municipal offices, and during the Nazi era also by party organizations and the Wehrmacht. From 1985 the building was renovated and investigated archaeologically and architecturally; new structural elements were deliberately left recognizable as such. The Stadtmuseum opened here in 1991.
A major focus is the estate of silhouette artist and animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger, to whom a large permanent exhibition is devoted. In addition there are around 1,000 views of the town as well as everyday objects, artworks and finds relating to Tübingen’s history, the game “Room of Memories” about the Nazi era, and several changing exhibitions each year. The museum family also includes the Hölderlinturm, the Hesse-Kabinett and a small museum at the Stadtfriedhof (municipal cemetery).
Admission is free.
| Groups | –Booked tours for groups of up to 25 people: €30 (30 min.) or €60 (60 min.) in German, €40 or €70 in English; subsidies are available for school classes. |
|---|---|
| Public Sunday tour (15:00) | €5Reduced €3 (school pupils, students, FSJ volunteers, Bürgergeld recipients, Kreisbonus-Card holders, severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis)); children under 12 free. |
Free admission to all exhibitions; donations are welcome. Media guides for city walks and iPads for Actionbounds are lent free of charge against a deposit.
All floors can be reached by elevator, and exhibition rooms have a ramp if needed; only the room on Tübingen under National Socialism on the fourth floor has a step. The entrance doors are heavy – ring the bell for assistance. Many videos have subtitles, and transcripts of the listening stations are available; tours for people with disabilities on request. Assistance dogs are allowed.
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|
Courses and workshops, free school-holiday workshops, children’s birthday parties with creative themes for ages 4 and up, and Actionbound city rallies for children aged 7 and up with loaner iPads. In the Lotte Reiniger exhibition, children can make their own paper silhouettes and short animated films.
Stadtgraben · 5-min walk
Bus stop Stadtgraben (lines 1–9, 11–13, 16–19, 21, 23, 32, 33, X82, 826, 828) or Neckarbrücke (lines 1–13, X15, 16, 17, 19, 21–23, about a 7-minute walk); a short walk from the main train station.
No on-site parking at the museum.
No dedicated parking in the old town; parking garages nearby, including Parkhaus König (route video on the museum’s website).
Bike racks in the vicinity. If you arrive with a bwtarif day ticket or Deutschlandticket, you get a free tote bag at the museum (partner of bwegtPlus).
Get directionsMuseum shop on the first floor; lockers for backpacks and larger luggage. Eating and drinking are not permitted in the exhibition rooms.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography for private purposes without flash is permitted. |
| Good to know | For a thorough visit the museum recommends 2–3 hours. Public guided tour every Sunday at 15:00 on changing topics (no registration required). Audio guide for the Lotte Reiniger exhibition; free media guides for city walks (about 1 hour each). The “Room of Memories” can be booked for 2–4 people aged 14 and up (about 50 min.). |
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