Frankfurt's municipal ethnological museum, housed in three villas on the Museumsufer, showing its collection from around the world in changing exhibitions.
November 13, 2026 – February 14, 2027
In the Weltkulturen Labor, a fictional research archive of field notes, objects, photos and sound recordings is presented as an open research space in which documentation and imagination blur.
The museum's roots go back to 1817, when the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft began building ethnographic collections alongside its natural history holdings. These passed to the city in 1877, and on October 22, 1904, the Städtisches Völkermuseum opened under its founding director Bernhard Hagen. As early as 1908 it moved into the Palais Thurn und Taxis; for a time it was headed by Leo Frobenius, and before World War II it was one of the city's most visited museums.
In the 1944 air raids, the palace was destroyed along with the objects still there, the photo archive and the documentation; about two thirds of the collection had been moved out beforehand and survived. After decades of exhibitions at changing venues, the museum moved into the villa at Schaumainkai 29 in 1969, and the neighboring villas at numbers 35 and 37 were added in the 1990s.
Its name changed from Museum für Völkerkunde to Museum der Weltkulturen (2001) and then to Weltkulturen Museum (from 2010). Several plans for a new building in the museum park were never realized; instead, an additional exhibition venue is to open in the Central Business Tower in the banking district, probably from 2028.
The collection comprises some 65,000 objects from Oceania, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Americas, more than 100,000 ethnographic photographs and films, and a public library. Because space is limited, the museum has no permanent exhibition but shows changing exhibitions, often in collaboration with artists and source communities; provenance research and the examination of colonial contexts are central to its work.
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3.50Students, unemployed people, people with a disability of 50% or more, groups of 20 or more, volunteer service participants |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens free until their 18th birthday. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount mentioned. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3.50companion free · Reduced with a degree of disability of 50 or higher; necessary companion free. |
| Students & apprentices | €3.50Students at Frankfurt universities and apprentices free. |
| Groups (20+ people) | €3.50 per personReduced for groups of 20 or more. Group tours (up to 15 people) €70 (60 min.) or €105 (90 min.) plus admission; in English €80/€120. School classes €3 or €4.50 per person including admission. Book on weekdays at 069 212-39898. |
| Families | –No family ticket; children and teens free. |
| MuseumsuferTicket (2 days) | €21reduced €12, family €32 |
| MuseumsuferCard (1 year) | €89reduced €45, family €150 |
Free admission: Free admission on the last Saturday of the month (Satourday).
€1 with the Frankfurt-Pass or Kulturpass and for refugees. Free for members of the friends' association, ICOM members and with the MuseumsuferCard/MuseumsuferTicket. Prices apply to regular operations; currently closed for renovation.
The villas are not accessible: entrance and exhibition areas partly reachable only by stairs, no elevator. Parking for people with reduced mobility by prior arrangement. Tour guide system with induction loops available to borrow at the ticket desk; tours for people with hearing aids/cochlear implants and in German Sign Language on request; free low-barrier tour “Willkommen im Weltkulturen Museum” on the last Saturday of the month. Part of the “Einfach reinkommen” program run by Lebenshilfe Frankfurt.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Children's workshop every third Sunday, free family workshops on Satourday; children's birthday parties from age 6 (up to 12 children) with hands-on objects from the education collection. Strollers allowed, possibly restricted when busy; parts of the villas are accessible only by stairs. Running and rough play in the galleries are not permitted.
Schweizer Platz
U1, U2, U3, U8 to Schweizer Platz; U4, U5 to Willy-Brandt-Platz; tram 15, 16 to Schweizer Platz/Gartenstraße.
Parking for people with reduced mobility by prior arrangement; the museum does not list any other parking.
Cloakroom and a limited number of lockers; larger bags and backpacks must be checked. Bike racks in front of the entrance. No information on a café or shop.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Permitted for private purposes without flash unless otherwise indicated. |
| Good to know | No permanent exhibition; only temporary exhibitions are shown. Guided tours and workshops (also in English) for groups, daycare centers and schools by registration. Staggered entry may apply when busy. Tours last 60 or 90 minutes. |
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