Palatinate history and brilliant special exhibitions
The Historical Museum of the Palatinate (website German only) in Speyer has been one of the most important museums in Germany for many years with its extensive collections on the history of the Palatinate and its thematically diverse and lavishly staged special exhibitions.
Exhibitions such as ‘Titanic’, ‘The Habsburgs’ and ‘The Gruffalo’ attract thousands of visitors to the Speyer museum year after year. A wide variety of themes, taking regional interests into account and the presentation of the latest scientific findings are among the principles of exhibition planning. The museum was opened at its current location in 1910 and was designed by the Munich architect Gabriel von Seidl.
Young Museum
The „Junges Museum“ Speyer, the first children's and youth museum in Rhineland-Palatinate, appeals to the younger generation with great success. Since 1999, it has been a place for creative leisure activities for the whole family within the Historical Museum. The concept includes special exhibitions for children and young people as well as child-friendly areas for the major special exhibitions.
Special exhibition - The Little Dragon Coconut
until the 1st of February 2025
The new family exhibition continues Ingo Siegner's stories about the little dragon Coconut (Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss) and his friends. Together with Matilda the porcupine and Oskar the eating dragon, Coconut magically ends up in a museum. Together they explore the Stone Age, conquer a knight's castle, capture a pirate ship and visit a mysterious burial chamber. Rubinia's magical witches' tower is also on their way! Fortunately, there is the cheeky museum ghost to help them overcome all the adventures and find their way back to Dragon Island.
Numerous interactive stations offer the opportunity to join in and learn through play. The show also introduces Ingo Siegner as an illustrator and author. The popular rat children, Eliot and Isabella as well as the cheeky meerkats Gustav, Rocky and Pauline will also be represented in the exhibition.
Special exhibition ‘Football fever. Derbies in the south-west’
6 December 2025 to 3 May 2026
Spectacular goals on the pitch, impressive choreography in the stands and matches whose winners are celebrated for years and whose losers are mourned for a long time: derbies electrify the football nation, entire cities and regions – especially in the southwest with its numerous traditional clubs and former Bundesliga clubs such as 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Waldhof Mannheim, Karlsruher SC, controversial promoted clubs such as TSG Hoffenheim or the former football greats Wormatia Worms and FK 03 Pirmasens. These are stories of tradition and emotion that are told from the kick-off until well into extra time.
Special exhibition ‘Superheroes’
21 December 2025 to 18 October 2026
This interactive exhibition transports you into the fascinating world of your heroes and heroines. Covering 1,000 square metres, we are displaying over 350 objects, including comics, figures, graphics and original drawings by well-known artists such as German Marvel illustrator Nic Klein. More than 25 interactive stations offer you the opportunity to get involved yourself: test your own powers, design your own comic cover or fly through the air like Superman. The exhibition promotes team spirit, creativity and critical thinking and offers a unique experience that combines play, education and the different worlds of heroes.
Permanent exhibition - Cross and crown
At the centre of the permanent exhibition is the approximately 1,500-year history of the diocese of Speyer, with the cathedral naturally playing an important role. The name of the collection, ‘Cross and Crown’, alludes to the fact that the cathedral was not only a place of worship, but also a monumental object of representation as the burial place of Roman-German kings and emperors. The presentation is dedicated to both spiritual and secular events of the past 1,000 years in Speyer and shows objects from the collections of the cathedral and diocese, for example the artefacts from the graves of the emperors and kings buried in the cathedral.
The layout of the exhibition space resembles a multi-aisled church building with a transept and cloverleaf-shaped choir. The old building is therefore ideally suited for the presentation of sacred works of art.
Further information on the collective exhibition can be found here.
Permanent exhibition "Luther, the Protestants and the Palatinate"
21 December 2025 to 18 October 2026
Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Butzer: selected exhibits provide an overview of 500 years of Protestantism from the early Reformation period to the present day.