The museum’s collections contain over 5,000 objects of arts and crafts. The oldest date back to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, while the most recent come from the 20th century. The arts and crafts collection includes objects made of glass and ceramics, gold and silver, iron, copper, tin, bronze and brass, spanning the entire history of civilisation. Most of the objects bear witness to the development of arts and crafts in the city of Magdeburg, for example, the products of the pewter industry, which can be traced in Magdeburg from the 14th to the beginning of the 20th century. The Rococo ceramics from the Magdeburg faience and earthenware factory Guischard (1756-1839) are aesthetically appealing, as are the Biedermeier and Gründerzeit decorative and everyday tableware from the Buckau porcelain factory (1833-1930).
The collection of (forged) iron from the famous Magdeburg machine manufacturer Rudolf Wolf is also remarkable. It was a gift to his hometown and had a place of honour in the town hall before it was given to the museum in 1893. From the time of the arts and crafts school in Magdeburg (1793-1963), objects by Barlach’s student Hans Wewerka (1888-1915), as well as by Fritz von Heider (1868-1947) and Albinmüller (1871-1941), can be found in the museum’s collections. Another focus of the collection is on ceramic works created in the GDR.
