Museum Plagiarius
Small museum in Solingen’s Südpark that displays more than 350 original products right next to their knockoffs and raises awareness of product piracy.
Over het museum
The idea came from industrial designer Rido Busse: in 1977, at the Frankfurt spring trade fair, he discovered a cheap copy of a letter scale designed by his studio. Annoyed by the imitators, he created the negative award “Plagiarius,” whose trophy is a black-lacquered garden gnome with a golden nose. Since 1986 the association Aktion Plagiarius e. V. has presented it annually to manufacturers and distributors of particularly brazen imitations.
To display the collection of award-winning knockoffs that had grown over the years on a permanent basis, Busse founded the association Museum Plagiarius in 2001. The exhibition was first shown in Berlin from 2001 to 2003. As part of the structural development program Regionale 2006, it found a new home in the Südpark of the “Blade City” of Solingen, where the museum opened on March 26, 2007.
The permanent exhibition juxtaposes more than 350 originals and their copies from many industries – from household goods, clothing, furniture, and toys to cosmetics and medicines, all the way to car rims and chainsaws. The new award winners are added every year. The nonprofit association runs the museum largely with volunteers and aims to make consumers, companies, and policymakers aware of the damage and risks caused by counterfeits, through guided tours, school programs, and occasional events.
Hoogtepunten
- More than 350 originals and knockoffs in direct comparison
- Collection of all winners of the “Plagiarius” negative award since 1977
- Hands-on guessing table: original or fake?
- Plagiarius trophy: black gnome with a golden nose
Vaste collectie
- Original statt Plagiat – die Plagiarius-Ausstellung – More than 350 original products and their imitations from many industries, each displayed side by side and supplemented every year with the new Plagiarius award winners.
- Opgericht
- 2007
- Beheerder
- Museum Plagiarius e. V.
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 4 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 3Pupils, apprentices, university students, and Federal Volunteer Service participants aged 19 to 25, recipients of Bürgergeld (basic income support) and comparable social security benefits (SGB), people with a disability degree (GdB) of 80 or more |
| Kinderen & jongeren | gratisgratis t/m 18 jaar · Children and teens up to 18 years are admitted free. |
| Senioren | –No senior discount listed. |
| Mensen met een beperking | € 3begeleider gratis · Reduced admission for a disability degree (GdB) of 80 or more; companion free. |
| Studenten | € 3Ages 19 to 25 |
| Groepen (vanaf 10 pers.) | € 3 p.p.Adult groups of 10 or more people. School groups with two accompanying adults free. Guided tours by registration only, plus admission: Fridays €40, Saturdays, Sundays, and outside opening hours €50, tours in English €15 extra. |
Toegankelijkheid
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.
Kinderen & gezin
| Toegang kinderen | gratis t/m 18 jaar |
|---|
- Doe- en voelstations
At the guessing table, originals and counterfeits may be picked up and compared.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Solingen Grünewald · 5 min. lopen
S-Bahn S7 to Solingen Grünewald station (about every 20 minutes) or trolleybus 682; from there about a 5-minute walk through the Südpark.
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Directly in front of the museum, on parking strips and parking lots in the Südpark, and on signposted parking lots along the tracks.
Via the B 229; in Solingen partly signposted "Museum Plagiarius".
Route plannenService & horeca
Dining in the Südpark.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Events and special requests by arrangement.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | Guided tours by registration only (by phone or email), also in English and outside opening hours. The maximum group size is stated inconsistently (30 people on the visitor page, 25 on the tours page). Tours for school classes with material notes for teachers. |
