Kiel's city museum in a 1616 aristocratic townhouse in the old town: changing exhibitions on city history and a historic vaulted cellar, free admission.
November 30, 2025 – October 25, 2026
Presents objects from the collection built up since 1965, from early acquisitions to the most recent additions, and asks what should be collected in the future. A workshop room shows how objects are inventoried.
June 19, 2026 – May 23, 2027
Paintings from the "Fördegalerie" art collection are examined for the people they depict, from fishermen and shipyard workers to passersby, and for how the artists' perspective changed over the eras.
The Warleberger Hof on Dänische Straße is considered one of the oldest buildings in Kiel. A foundation beam examined in the cellar dates back to the late 13th century. In 1616, the ducal clerk Christoph Martens was given the plot tax-free and built a stately residence with a garden on it. Town residences like this served the Holstein landed nobility as winter quarters near the palace. The house's privileges included brewing rights and a connection to the palace's water supply; the well in the vaulted cellar still carries water today.
The house got its name from Henning von Thienen auf Warleberg, who bought it in 1695. Henning Bendix von Rumohr had the building remodeled in 1765, moved the main façade to Dänische Straße and created the sandstone portal bearing his initial. In 1839, the house passed to the university, which used it for purposes including its anatomy department and later the Museum für Völkerkunde (ethnological museum). In 1909, the building was shortened by a few meters to make room for the streetcar, but the portal was preserved.
The city of Kiel bought the building in 1967, and the city museum opened there in 1970. The first-floor rooms were fitted with stucco ceilings, silk wallpaper and overdoor panels from 18th-century Kiel townhouses. After a renovation in 2009/2010 that included installing an elevator, the cellar was converted into exhibition space.
Today, the house is one of several sites of the Kieler Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum (Kiel City and Maritime Museum). It hosts changing exhibitions on the art, culture and city history of the 19th and 20th centuries, while the Fischhalle is devoted to maritime history. The vaulted cellar displays faience, silver and guild objects from old Kiel.
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Old town walk and city walks (90 min., max. 20 people): €50 per group; costumed tour "Adelsgeflüster" (60 min., max. 25 people): €60 per group. Programs for school classes are free. |
Free admission. Fees or material costs may apply for special tours, workshops and special events.
Step-free main entrance without an automatic door opener (doorbell on the left), access route partly cobblestone; elevator with tactile controls, wheelchair-accessible restroom on the first floor, doors at least 90 cm wide, lowered counter. The exhibitions themselves are currently not accessible; conversion of the entrance and lower level is underway. No hearing loop, no Braille texts. Accessible parking spaces including on Burgstraße (approx. 100 m) and at the Sartorispeicher. Regular free guided tours with sign language interpretation.
Great for kids & families
Free children's scavenger hunt with "Kammerzofe Paula" (ages 8–12) at the museum counter. Daycare programs from age 4 and costumed Old Town walks for children's groups by registration. Baby changing facilities in the accessible restroom.
Schlossgarten · 230 m
Bus 32, 61, 62 to Schlossgarten; bus 41, 42 to Seegarten/Ostseekai (approx. 340 m); bus 11, 12, 13, 81, 91 to Martensdamm (approx. 490 m).
Parking available
No parking lot of its own. Parking garage Jensendamm (Haßstraße 24, approx. 350 m, paid); free accessible parking spaces including on Burgstraße (approx. 100 m).
The path from the stops is partly paved with cobblestones.
Get directionsLockers in the basement (reachable by elevator).
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | no |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public Sunday guided tours (60 min.) at no extra charge. Group, costumed and city tours, workshops and daycare programs by appointment at 0431 901-3425. Exhibition texts in German and English. |
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