Tour of the City

Those interested in art history and city history should go to the museum for art, city and theatre history in the Reiss Museum. The museum puts on a varied programme of exhibitions, lectures, symposiums, concerts and educational events. The basis for all activities are the extensive and valuable collections, which cover the wide spectrum of archaeology, nature study, ethnology and art, city and theatre history. The Reiss Museum's exhibition area of 7,500 square metres is located in the former armoury in C 5 and contains the museum for art, city and theatre history. The new building in D 5 contains the museum for archaeology and ethnology. In 1997 the new building in D 5 also became the home of the museum for nature study, which is now a part of the entire complex.

The armoury was built during the years 1777-1779 according to the plans of the architect and sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (1710-1793). It had already served as the museum for nature study and ethnology between the two world wars.

The construction of the museum for archaeology and ethnology, which was designed by the two Mannheim architects Carlfried Mutschler and Joachim Langner and officially opened in 1988, is unique because of its "Reiss-façade" designed by Erwin Bechtold. Inside, the exhibition areas are centred around the great hall which is flooded with natural light via a glass pyramid. The hall functions as a space for festivals and assemblies. A lecture hall with 400 seats (Anna Reiss Hall) and the area for special exhibitions facilitate a wide range of programmes, which has made the Reiss Museum a popular cultural meeting-place.

In the Reiss Museum you can find: late Gothic and Baroque sculptures, Dutch paintings of the 17th, German paintings of the 18th and Mannheim paintings of the 19th century; stoneware, faiences and porcelain, in particular from Strasbourg, Bayreuth, Meissen and Frankenthal; Baroque silver, glass and, above all, furniture from the 18th century; coins and medals from the Palatinate and Baden; old views and plans of Mannheim; portraits of Mannheim personalities and documents of the revolution of Baden. In the vault cellar of the armoury the remarkable theatre collection of the Reiss Museum is open to the public with the exhibition "Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten".

Address: 
Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen 
Verwaltung C5 
Tel.: Administration in C 5: 293- 31 50 or - 31 51 
For exhibitions: 293-97 29
 www.rem-mannheim.de