Historical Museum Frankfurt: Tickets, Opening Hours & Highlights

Right on the Römerberg, where Frankfurt’s old town meets the Main, stands the Historical Museum Frankfurt (HMF) — for me one of the city’s most underrated museums. If you want to understand how a medieval coronation and trading city became today’s banking metropolis, this is exactly the right place. And don’t worry: this is no dusty local-heritage collection, but a modern institution with clever, often surprising displays. Let me show you what awaits, which objects you shouldn’t miss and how to plan your visit cleverly.

A museum of old and new

The HMF isn’t a single building but a whole ensemble of several houses around a courtyard. Its historic core lies in the Saalhof, the oldest surviving building in Frankfurt, whose origins reach back to the Staufer era in the 12th century. Over the centuries further structures were added, among them the striking Rententurm tower on the riverbank. The museum moved into the Saalhof in 1955; after a comprehensive refurbishment, the old building reopened in 2012.

The big leap came in 2017: on 7 October the modern new building (the exhibition house) opened, its jagged roofline echoing the silhouette of the old town’s houses. This mix of Staufer-era fabric and contemporary architecture makes the place inviting from the outside — and inside, the exhibitions spread across several houses and levels. Take your time; the site is larger than it looks from the street.

The Treuner brothers’ old-town model

The museum’s quiet star is the great old-town model by the Treuner brothers: a meticulously crafted reconstruction of Frankfurt’s old town as it looked before its destruction in the Second World War. Brothers Hermann and Robert Treuner worked on the model for decades, capturing every timber-framed house, every alley and every square to scale. You can hardly get enough of the dense tangle of gables and courtyards.

If you’ve walked through today’s New Old Town beforehand, only here do you truly grasp what was lost in March 1944 and what was reconstructed decades later. The model is more than a pretty showpiece — it’s a piece of remembrance culture, and for many visitors the most moving moment of the whole tour.

More collection highlights

The HMF holds significant art- and cultural-historical objects that reach far beyond mere city history. Among the highlights are:

• The St Anne Altarpiece (c. 1500) by the Master of Frankfurt, a gem of late-Gothic painting.
• The Heller Altarpiece (1508) after Albrecht Dürer — a work of European rank.
• Alfred Rethel’s monumental painting “The Reconciliation of Emperor Otto I” (1840).
• The terrestrial globe by Johannes Schöner (c. 1515), an early testament to the Renaissance worldview.

Around these treasures, the permanent exhibition “Frankfurt Once?” tells the city’s history thematically rather than strictly chronologically — from money, trade and civic pride to the coronations of the Holy Roman emperors and the ruptures of the 20th century. It’s complemented by “Frankfurt Now!”, which turns its gaze on the present-day city and its residents.

Another crowd favourite is the walk-in Snow Globe in the courtyard: an oversized installation in which miniature city motifs come together into a playful, tongue-in-cheek picture of Frankfurt.

The Young Museum

In the same building sits the Young Museum, one of the oldest children’s museums in Germany. Here history is made tangible for children and families — to touch, try out and join in. If you’re travelling with children, it’s the ideal starting point, as the exhibitions are designed at the eye level of younger visitors.

Opening hours (as of 2026)

• Tuesday to Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday: the new building stays open until 9 p.m. (extended)
• Monday: closed

On some public holidays such as Easter Monday or Whit Monday the museum is also open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check the current times shortly before your visit, especially around public holidays, as changes are possible.

Admission prices (as of 2026)

Prices are tiered depending on what you want to see:

• Permanent exhibitions (HMF + Young Museum): €8, reduced €4
• Temporary exhibition (HMF): €10, reduced €5
• 1-day ticket for all exhibitions: €12, reduced €6

Especially welcome for families: children and young people up to the age of 18 get in free. Tickets are available at the museum’s cash desks or conveniently in advance in the online shop. On busy days and for popular temporary exhibitions, an online ticket saves you queuing. Prices can change — if in doubt, check the current rate on the official website.

Getting there

The museum is at Saalhof 1, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, right on the riverbank next to the Römerberg. The most convenient way is by public transport: the U-Bahn station Römer (U4/U5) and several tram and bus stops around the old town are only a few minutes’ walk away. The main station is also quickly reached by U-Bahn. By car, parking in the old town is expensive and scarce — I clearly recommend the U-Bahn or tram. If you do drive, use one of the car parks around the Römer.

Practical tips for your visit

• Combine with the New Old Town: the museum is right next to the Dom-Römer quarter — perfect for a half-day of old town with the Imperial Cathedral, Römerberg and museum.
• Use Thursday evening: the extended hours in the new building are ideal if you’ve been out in the city all day.
• Families save: the Young Museum and free entry for under-18s make the HMF one of Frankfurt’s most affordable family destinations.
• Allow time: for the old-town model, permanent exhibition and one temporary show, reckon on two to three hours.
• Enjoy the view: from the museum and the terrace by the Rententurm you get a lovely view of the Main and the Museumsufer opposite.
• Café and shop: the museum café is worth a break, and the shop stocks clever souvenirs and books on the city’s history.

Is it worth it?

Clearly, yes. The Historical Museum Frankfurt is more than a box to tick for history buffs — it’s the key to understanding the whole city. The Treuner brothers’ old-town model alone is worth the trip, and around it unfolds a vividly told story of trade, coronations, civic pride and change. Precisely because it sits right beside the Römerberg, the cathedral and the New Old Town, it slots effortlessly into an old-town day.

My advice: combine the visit with a stroll through the New Old Town next door, come on the long Thursday if you can, and check prices and opening hours in advance. Then the museum visit becomes a rounded, genuine Frankfurt experience that shows you the city from its history-steeped side.