K21 Ständehaus

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Ständehaus was built in 1876–1880 to plans by Julius Raschdorff as the meeting place of the provincial parliament of the Prussian Rhine Province. The Italian Neo-Renaissance building with an inner courtyard stands on the Kaiserteich pond on the site of the former fortifications. After severe war damage in 1943, Hans Schwippert rebuilt it; from 1949 to 1988 the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia met here.

After the parliament moved to its new building on the Rhine, the Ständehaus stood empty for several years. From 1996 it was converted into a museum to plans by the Munich firm Kiessler + Partner: the plenary hall was restored to its original size, a glass-and-steel dome now spans the courtyard and top floor, and a tall exhibition hall with porthole windows facing the Kaiserteich was created beneath the building.

In April 2002 the building opened as K21, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen's venue for art from around 1980 onward, complementing K20 on Grabbeplatz. For more than ten years, Tomás Saraceno's walk-in net installation "in orbit" under the dome was a crowd-puller until it was dismantled in early 2024. Today K21 shows changing exhibitions in the basement and on the Bel Etage (piano nobile), and the collection of international contemporary art on the upper floors, including Reinhard Mucha's room installation "Das Deutschlandgerät" in the former plenary hall.

Highlights

• Glass dome above the Piazza with views over Düsseldorf
• Reinhard Mucha's "Das Deutschlandgerät" in the former plenary hall
• Collection of international contemporary art, including Thomas Struth, Thomas Schütte, Isa Genzken, and Wolfgang Tillmans
• Underground exhibition hall with porthole windows facing the Kaiserteich
• Café Pardo's, designed by the artist Jorge Pardo

Permanent exhibitions

• K21 Sammlung – Internationale Gegenwartskunst – Changing presentation of the state collection of contemporary art on the third and fourth floors, with photography, painting, sculpture, and video, as well as the Dorothee and Konrad Fischer Archive.

Founded

2002

Operated by

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Director

Prof. Dr. Susanne Gaensheimer

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission every first Wednesday of the month from 18:00 (Open House).

Prices according to the Kunstsammlung's ticket overview: €9 (reduced €7) applies only to the K21 collection. Tickets are valid for one year from purchase, no time slots for K21 exhibitions. Free admission for, among others, volunteers in voluntary service programs, members of the Freunde der Kunstsammlung (friends' association), holders of the Art:card and Düsselpass, unemployed people, and recipients of Bürgergeld (citizen's income).

Accessibility

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

According to the museum, generally accessible. Free loaner wheelchairs at the coat check (register in advance if possible), folding chairs as walking aids. Priority entry with a severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis) when there are lines; companions of blind and visually impaired visitors admitted free. Guided tours in German Sign Language (DGS; registration via the Stadtverband der Gehörlosen, the city association of the deaf) as well as tours and workshops in Easy Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Small studio at K21 with art workshops for children ages 3 and up with an accompanying adult, workshops for preschoolers, Maus-Tag, holiday workshops (ages 5 and up), and an open media workshop for ages 10 and up. Birthday parties for ages 3 and up. Free admission up to and including age 17.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Café Pardo's, artistically designed by Jorge Pardo; from October 1, 2026, with a new concept, Tue–Sun 11:00–19:00. Free coat check and lockers in the entrance area, Wi-Fi "K21 public."

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Piazza under the glass dome (galas, award ceremonies, concerts) and the top floor under the dome roof (dinners, receptions); private views can be booked, also available as a film and photo location.

Plan your visit