Theatermuseum Düsseldorf

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The starting point is the archive of the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, a privately funded reform theater founded in 1904 by actress Louise Dumont and director Gustav Lindemann, which was forced to close in 1933. Lindemann had collected the artistic and business records and donated the Dumont-Lindemann Archive to the City of Düsseldorf on May 30, 1947. It was first housed at the Ehrenhof and from 1972 on the street Alt Pempelfort, and from the outset it was also intended as a place for public outreach.

From 1980, director Heinrich Riemenschneider made exhibitions a regular part of the program, and during the 1980s the archive became the Theatermuseum. In 1988 it moved into the Hofgartenhaus on the northern edge of the Hofgarten park, a late 18th-century building with a hall that once hosted lectures on garden design and festivities; after war damage it had initially been rebuilt for the Goethe-Museum. Since 2005, most of the holdings have been kept in a collection building on Merowingerstraße.

Under Sascha Förster, director since 2021, the TMD sees itself as an open meeting place: alongside exhibitions on the performing arts, it hosts readings, singalongs, poetry slams, drag nights and walks through the Hofgarten. The collection comprises more than one million objects – production photos, stage and costume designs, playbills, marionettes and personal papers such as the Gründgens Archive; since 2024 it has also included a festival archive for North Rhine-Westphalia. The specialist library holds more than 23,500 items.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition on the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf reform theater (1904–1933) with 42 objects
• Mini-exhibition on Louise Dumont's horoscopes
• Hofgartenhaus with terrace and balcony overlooking the Hofgarten
• Collection of more than one million objects on the performing arts
• Evening program with singalongs, poetry slams and drag shows

Permanent exhibitions

• 1904 bis 1947: Wandel zwischen Aufbruch & Archiv – A look behind the scenes of the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf reform theater and its archive through nine personalities and 42 objects, with an archive table for browsing and a mini-exhibition on Louise Dumont's horoscopes; announced on the website through October 8, 2026.

Founded

1947

Operated by

Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf

Director

Dr. Sascha Förster

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission one Sunday a month (“Euer Sonntag im TMD”); dates in the program.

Free admission also for refugees; holders of the Düsselpass and comparable passes, the Welcome Card and the new-resident voucher (Neubürger-Gutschein); and members of the Museumsbund, ICOM and SIBMAS. The “Millennium Palace” memory room in the foyer is free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There is a 12 cm (5 in) step at the Hofgarten entrance; a shallow ramp can be put in place at any time, giving access to the foyer and café. Doors to the exhibition and event rooms are up to 1.55 m (5 ft) wide. No elevator: the basement and the second and third floors can only be reached via curving staircases; the restrooms are in the basement. Lightweight folding stools to carry with you; no tactile guidance system.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Monthly open creative lab for children aged 6 to 12 with an accompanying adult (free), holiday programs during the Easter, summer and fall school holidays, and children's birthday parties with a sock puppet workshop (ages 8–12, three hours). During the Känguru tours, strollers can be left in the foyer. There is a playground nearby in the Hofgarten.

Getting there & parking

Entrance in the northern Hofgarten via the terrace. A few covered bike racks at the entrance, and plenty of bike racks between the Schauspielhaus and the Dreischeibenhaus.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum café and bar “Ping” with terrace and balcony (Wed–Sun from 12:00 and during events); small museum shop. Unattended coat check and lockers (€1 deposit) in the basement.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

Up to 90 guests.

Lore-Lorentz-Saal (about 50–60 seated, up to 90 guests standing, almost fully darkenable), for example for readings, workshops and private parties; foyer, balcony and terrace when the museum's own program allows.

Plan your visit