About the Museum
The Museum of Hamburg History was founded in 1908 and moved to its current location in 1922. Its building was designed and built by Fritz Schumacher, a leading architect and municipal planning director at the time. Its site is historical as it was the former Bastion Henricus, the section of 17th century fortification that was meant to make the city impregnable. The museum’s building incorporates parts of architectural fragments from townhouses in Hamburg and statues of German emperors from Hamburg’s old town hall.
The collection is based on the “Collection of Hamburg Antiquities”, which was started by The Hamburg History Association (founded 1839). It included arms, armour, flags, uniforms and guild artifacts. This initial collection was nationalised in 1849 and meant to promote awareness of the city’s history to its inhabitants. Today this mission continues as the museum presents exhibitions on urban development, the harbour, and everyday life and culture. Its permanent collection includes textiles, photography, paintings, models, musical instruments, and more historical artifacts associated with the history of Hamburg.
(Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
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