Münchner Stadtmuseum: Closed for modernization

General renovation of the museum since 2024

Since January 8, 2024, the Munich City Museum is expected to be closed until mid-2031 and is preparing for the future: The building complex is being extensively renovated - including a new main entrance on Rindermarkt and a covered atrium in the inner courtyard with a cube as the new museum centerpiece. In addition, emphasis is placed on inclusion, guaranteed by improved routing as well as spacious lounge areas and communication rooms.

During the closure period, the team is working on redesigning the permanent exhibitions, preparing special exhibitions and developing a new event and educational program.

Interim program during the renovation period

During the renovation period, the Munich City Museum wants to remain active and present. The current program is announced on the museum's website: www.muenchner-stadtmuseum.de

The Münchner Stadtmuseum online services

The Münchner Stadtmuseum offers a wide range of services online:

• Virtual tours: Explore the permanent exhibition "Typically Munich!" including "Migration Moves the City – Changing Perspectives" on a 360-degree tour – with more in-depth resources on selected exhibition pieces, as well as audio information and extreme close-ups (additional information is available in German only).
• Online collection: Here you can find comprehensive artworks from almost all the main areas of the museum's collection in digital form.
• Videos: A small selection of the museum’s films are also available in English.

Münchner Filmmuseum and cinema (still open)

The Filmmuseum has been part of the Münchner Stadtmuseum since 1963. A wide range of films, from early black-and-white classics to modern independent films and documentaries are archived here, restored and made accessible to the public in various film series. All of the films are screened in their original format and language (with subtitles available in English or German). The film museum will continue to offer a changing cinema program every day, except Mondays, until June 2027.

Interims-Ausstellung: What the City. Perspektiven unserer Stadt

Ab 15. Mai 2025 zeigt das Münchner Stadtmuseum eine Interimsausstellung im eigens dafür angepassten Erdgeschoss des historischen Zeughauses. "What the City. Perspektiven unserer Stadt" bringt aktuelle stadtgeschichtliche Themen aus fast allen Sammlungen des Hauses in einer Ausstellung zusammen. In zehn Kapiteln geht sie unter anderem Fragen zu Sicherheit, Armut, dem Kampf um Gleichberechtigung, Tradition und Wachstum in München nach. In der Ausstellung kommen Münchner*innen selbst zu Wort und Besucher*innen werden durch interaktive Mitmach- und Medienstationen eingebunden. Der Eintritt ist barriere- und kostenfrei. Öffnungszeiten: Di–So 11–19 Uhr, montags geschlossen.

Historical architecture

The huge area of the Münchner Stadtmuseum consists of two spacious inner courtyards framed by four highly different buildings. The oldest building, the historic armoury dating from 1500, faces Sankt-Jakobs-Platz. But the ensemble also touches the Rindermarkt square with the collection wing built by architect Gustav Gsaenger in the late 1950s and Sebastiansplatz with the replica of the medieval Marstall building from 1977.

The History of the Münchner Stadtmuseum

The Munich City Museum was founded in 1888 on the initiative of the city archivist Ernst von Destouches. It was initially designed as a local museum. In addition to the original, mainly graphic holdings, many other objects and collections such as applied art, urban culture, photography, graphics/paintings, advertising art, puppet theater/showmanship and music were added over the years. The museum grew more and more and is now the largest municipal museum in all of Germany.