vanaf 13 september 2026
Heimat gestalten – Westfalen erzählen
Exhibition on more than 100 years of the Westfälischer Heimatbund (Westphalian heritage federation) and on how ideas of Heimat (home) have changed over time.

City history museum run by the local heritage society in historic downtown buildings, with an award-winning medical history collection and industrial history.
vanaf 13 september 2026
Exhibition on more than 100 years of the Westfälischer Heimatbund (Westphalian heritage federation) and on how ideas of Heimat (home) have changed over time.
Gütersloh had its first local history museum from 1935, but its building and holdings were partly damaged and partly destroyed in World War II. From 1974 the remaining items were shown in a new Heimathaus (heritage house), which, however, offered too little space. In 1982 the physician Wilhelm Angenete and his sister Else donated two downtown properties with buildings to the Heimatverein (local heritage society) – on condition that a museum be set up there.
In 1988 the Stadtmuseum opened in the so-called Backsteinhaus (brick house), a granary from 1874; it is run by the Heimatverein Gütersloh, with the city contributing to costs. In 1997 the neighboring half-timbered house from around 1750 was added; it once housed the town's first Prussian elementary school. The two buildings have been connected on the upper floor since 1930 and have been listed monuments since 1984. A half-timbered house specially relocated to the grounds now houses the restaurant.
The flagship is the medical history collection, which goes back to Angenete's practice furnishings and received a special award in the European Museum of the Year Award in 1990. It includes the desk of Nobel laureate Robert Koch, a drugstore from 1890, dental practices from 1925 and 1955, and an iron lung from the 1950s.
Other permanent exhibitions cover the city's history from the Bronze Age to the present – including the complete Thiro coppersmith's workshop – as well as industrial history with the textile, metal, and printing trades. Each year several special exhibitions round out the program, traditionally on the theme of toys in winter.
| Volwassenen | € 4 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 2Those eligible for concessions (not specified further); also discounted for members of the NRW-Stiftung friends' association and holders of the NW-Karte |
| Kinderen & jongeren | € 2Children and teens up to 17: €2. |
| Senioren | –No senior discount listed. |
| Groepen | –Guided tours for groups of up to 10 people €30, more than 10 people €40, plus admission in each case; also outside opening hours. Schools and daycare centers on request. |
| Children's birthday party (2 hours) | € 70plus €2 admission per child, up to 9 children; accompanying adults free |
| Children's birthday party (3 hours with cake break) | € 90plus €2 admission per child |
Members of the Heimatverein join the public guided tour free of charge.
Accessible except for one mezzanine level (church history and school). The step-free entrance is not at the main entrance – please knock or ring, and the ticket desk staff will open it.
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
Birthday parties (2 or 3 hours, max. 9 children) with an age-appropriate program: dressing up, museum scavenger hunt, crafts in the copper smithy, printing, or textile design. Workshops for children according to the schedule.
Downtown location; Gütersloh Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and the central bus station are within walking distance.
Betaald parkeren
No free parking; the parking garages at Klingenthal and at the train station are a few steps away.
Restaurant "Il Museo" (Italian and Spanish cuisine, formerly the museum café) in the half-timbered house on the museum grounds; reservations by phone 05241 2125773.
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd – vraag het rechtstreeks na bij het museum.
| Rondleidingen | ja |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Fotograferen | Permitted for private purposes in most areas without flash; restrictions may apply to individual exhibits and special exhibitions. |
| Goed om te weten | Guided tours of city and/or medical history, also as a combined city-and-museum tour (from €30/90 minutes). Request tours and children's birthday parties at least three weeks in advance. Workshops as per the schedule. Dogs and pets are not allowed (unless carried in a bag). |
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