Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf

Description

The Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf sees itself as a place where urban history and urban theory are brought together. It is located in the Palais Spee in Carlstadt, on the southern edge of Düsseldorf’s historic city centre.

The institution was founded in 1874 as a Historical Museum; its basis was formed by early donations, including a large painting collection from 1873. In the following years the museum moved several times and was housed at various municipal locations. In the interwar period it was merged with the city archive and in 1933 renamed Stadtmuseum; under National Socialist rule, among other things, a "Germanenschau" and a war collection were created. World War II destroyed the building, but the core of the collection was preserved thanks to transfers to external storage. After the war the museum occupied several new sites before moving into the Palais Spee, where it was gradually expanded. A comprehensive reconceptualization was presented in the early 21st century.

The Stadtmuseum’s holdings range from prehistory and early history to the present. Archaeological finds, paintings, prints, sculptures, furniture and archival materials document regional developments, for example the period of the Vereinigten Herzogtümer Jülich‑Kleve‑Berg and the rule of the Pfalz‑Neuburger Herzöge. A focal point is portraits of early modern rulers and civic figures, as well as an extensive copperplate print collection with important 16th‑century topographical images. The 19th‑century department traces Düsseldorf’s transformation from a princely residence, via a garrison town, to an industrial metropolis; it contains artworks, everyday objects, caricatures and holdings relating to the literary and musical scene. The 20th‑ and 21st‑century collections document the local art scene during the Weimar and Nazi periods, the persecution of artists, the post‑war era and the urban and cultural development of the state capital. An extensive photographic collection (around 30,000 images) and a graphic collection complement the holdings.

Since its repositioning the museum has approached the city as a dynamic social, cultural and spatial entity. Exhibitions, research and outreach focus on questions of urban theory. Project rooms and a central forum in the building provide space for discussions on local and global urban development; a documentation room is also dedicated to artistic engagement with the city. Visitor participation and an open exhibition format that allows interventions are an integral part of the concept.