Stadtmuseum Erlangen, or Erlangen City Museum, is a municipal museum dedicated to the history of the city of

Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The museum is housed in the former Old Town 'Rathaus' (town hall), built in 1733/40, and an adjoining town house. Its courtyard serves as a venue for concerts, readings, film screenings, and other open-air events.

History

Erlangen's first local history museum ('Heimatmuseum') was opened in 1919 in the former

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

(previously the university '

Karzer A was a designated lock-up or detention room to incarcerate students as a punishment, within the jurisdiction of some institutions of learning in Germany and German-language universities abroad. The American writer Mark Twain wrote about the karze ...

'). In 1964, the city museum was re-established and reopened in the former Old Town Hall under its current name.

Exhibitions

The permanent exhibition documents the region's history from pre-historic times to the 20th century, with a focus on Erlangen's

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

era with the erection of the planned New Town, its

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

manufacturies, the Margravial residence, and the founding of today's Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bavaria's second-biggest university. Other topics include the

Industrial Age The Industrial Age is a period of history that encompasses the changes in economic and social organization that began around 1760 in Great Britain and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-d ...

and the transformation of the city within the context of German history. The tour ends with Erlangen's development as a "

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

town" following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The museum houses a significant collection on Huguenot trades (stocking weavers, glove makers, white tanners and carpet weavers). Changing exhibitions cover a broad variety of topics, such as important events in the city's history, the history of science and medicine, and the visual arts.

Gallery

File:Strumpfwirkerstuhl Stadtmuseum Erlangen.jpg, A hosier's stocking frame from the 18th century File:Legomodell Erlangen Stadtmuseum.jpg, "Lego model" of the planned New Town File:Ausstellungsbereich Nachkriegszeit Stadtmuseum Erlangen.jpg, Exhibition area about Erlangen's post-war history File:Erlanger Poetenfest 2021, Lesungen im Innenhof des Stadtmuseums 03.jpg, The museum's courtyard during ''Poetenfest''

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Erlangen Museums established in 1919 Museums in Germany Museums in Bavaria City museums in Germany Historic house museums in Germany