The 125-Year History of the
historisches museum frankfurt

Chronicle

 

1861

The first concept for a historical museum in Frankfurt is published.

1866

Frankfurt is occupied by Prussia and loses its "Free City" status.

1870

The civil democrats apply to the city council assembly for the establishment of a municipal museum. The request is granted.

1877

The "Verein für das Historisches Museum" ("Society for the Historical Museum") is founded.

1878, 13 June

Under director Otto Cornill, the Historisches Museum is dedicated as the "Gedächtnis der Bürgerstadt" ("Memory of the Civil Town").

1878, 16 June

The Historisches Museum opens for the first time.

1880

The collection comprises 6.560 objects.

1895

The museum obtains additional exhibition space in the neighbouring Leinwandhaus.

1908

Bernhard Müller is appointed director, following the short period of director Otto Laufer, who became founding director of the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte.

1914

The collection comprises some 100.000 objects.

from 1918

In deliberate dissociation from the "New Frankfurt", the museum is declared a folkloristic local history museum with a focus on the town until 1866.

1927

Death of museum director Müller. The post remains vacant for the time being.

1930

The directorship of the Historisches Museum is entrusted to Adolf Feulner, director of the Kunstgewerbemuseum.

1934

The museum is renamed "Stadtgeschichtliches Museum" ("City History Museum")

1937

The museum's pre-historical and early historical holdings are transferred to the newly opened "Museum für heimische Vor- und Frühgeschichte".

1938

Ernstotto Graf zu Solms-Laubach is appointed new museum director.

1938

Preparations are undertaken for an exhibition of a "Blut- und Bodengeschichte" (the Nazi view of local History), the realization of which is prevented by World War II.

1942

A large proportion of the collections is placed in storage outside the museum for safekeeping.

1944, March

The museum building is destroyed by Allied bombing.

1954

Gerhard Bott is appointed director of the institution now once again called the Historisches Museum. Conceptually, the museum returns to its pre-1933 local-history orientation.

1960

Hans Stubenvoll is appointed director of the Historisches Museum. He reorganizes it to serve as an educational institution and devotes a department to the history of Frankfurt in the twentieth century.

1970–1972

The new exposed concrete building in Saalgasse 19 is constructed.

1972

The Historisches Museum opens the first children's museum in West Germany.

1972–1975

The new permanent exhibitions ("Historical Documentation") are opened and trigger heated discussions in Frankfurt while attracting attention Europe-wide.

1982

Rainer Koch is appointed director of the Historisches Museum.

2005

Jan Gerchow is appointed director of the historisches museum. The preparations for reorganization as a city museum of the twenty-first century get underway.

2009

The collection comprises 605.000 objects.