permanent exhibition
The Magdeburger Reiter is the most famous monument in our collection and, together with his two accompanying figures, is one of the most important sculptures of European Gothic art in the 13th century. The rider is thought to depict Emperor Otto the Great (ruled 936-973) as the ideal youthful Staufer ruler. He is accompanied by a shield-bearer and a banner-bearer. The group of figures probably shows the ruler's festive arrival in the city, known as the Adventus. The Magdeburger Reiter was originally located in a tall tabernacle on the Alter Markt, in the heart of the city. Statues of honour have adorned public squares in cities since ancient times. However, this custom came to a halt in the Middle Ages. We do not know who in Magdeburg around 1240/50 had... read more
The “School (Hi)-stories” exhibition provides an overview of the history of school education in Magdeburg. The first mention of schools in Magdeburg dates back to the 10th century. The first Protestant town school was founded in 1524, and a public school system was established almost 300 years later. The exhibition traces this change and its protagonists using original objects, exemplary biographies and interactive stations. The exhibition shows that schools are about more than just teaching and imparting knowledge. They were and are also places for rituals, shared experiences, friendships and disappointments. The reconstruction of a historic classroom from the beginning of the last century and an interactive area are designed to encourage visitors to reflect on their own school days. As a participatory element, they can thus get directly involved... read more
The exhibition takes visitors on a relaxed, chronological tour, spanning from antiquity to the end of the Belle Époque. Ancient ceramics and bronzes, Renaissance tapestries, paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century, early Italian and Spanish majolicas and precious arts and crafts objects are presented and highlight the museum's own historical art collections. The Museum of Cultural History Magdeburg can look back on a history of over 100 years, and the history of the art collections of the house begins as early as the mid-19th century. Historical circumstances led to the former Kaiser Friedrich Museum of Art and Cultural History becoming the Cultural History Museum after the Second World War, and later, together with the Museum of Natural History, a modern, multi-purpose centre in... read more
The city on the high bank of the Elbe, at the gateway to the North German Plain, has repeatedly been a focal point of German and European history. Original works of art and contemporary testimonies from the museum's collections tell the story of Magdeburg's fate. The tour begins with the first mention of the border fortress “Magadoburg” in a legal text by Charlemagne in 805. Visitors can see for themselves the city's medieval history, when the trading centre on the Elbe rose to become a European centre of power under the rule of Otto the Great and the archbishopric's metropolis also became a cultural centre. Under Archbishop Wichmann, the great age of Magdeburg bronze casting began, with products being exported throughout Europe. The exhibition shows the significance of Magdeburg law... read more
After several years of scientific preparation as part of a diploma thesis at the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt, the 17th/18th century nativity scene was extensively restored in 2010 and 2011. The large miniature panorama with churches, palaces, a fountain and stables, consists of seven sections, two separate houses and four pastures. It now once again houses 62 figures ranging in size from around 8 to 30 cm, 28 animals, dogs, sheep, ox and donkey. It is an “excellent example of the nativity scenes that were carved and lovingly assembled in Tyrol in the 17th and 18th centuries,” wrote Theodor Volbehr, the founding director of our museum, in the accompanying museum booklet, which was used to present the recreation of the Christmas story to visitors for the first time... read more
© KHM, Foto: Charlen Christoph
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