Heidelberg offers its visitors a diverse programme of exhibitions and more than 20 museums and institutions. One very special museum is the German Pharmacy Museum. Visitors can discover the history, art and culture of the Palatinate region in the Palatinate Museum. Being a university town, Heidelberg also has a university museum with displays relating the history of Germany's oldest seat of learning.German Pharmacy Museum
The Pharmacy Museum has been located in Heidelberg Castle, one of the most beautiful and important Renaissance buildings in Germany, since 1957. It presents the history and advancement of the apothecary trade from ancient times right up to the 20th century and has fascinating collections, rare apothecary workshops and an alchemical laboratory. Visitors can also learn a lot about the healing methods of previous generations that often seem peculiar to us today. In addition to the Italian, Dutch and German faience earthenware, the apothecary jars of German origin are especially interesting. The main attraction, however, is the collection of medicines derived from mineral, animal and plant sources. Closed 25 December, guided tours are available in various languages.
» www.deutsches-apotheken-museum.dePalatinate Museum
Built in 1712 by J.A. Breunig, the Palais Morass is one of Heidelberg's finest baroque residences. It is now home to the extensive collections of the Palatinate Museum. Exhibits include paintings, prints, sculptures, arts and crafts and ancient artefacts. The museum also covers the history of the town and region, giving visitors a fascinating insight into the Palatinate and its capital Heidelberg. Though the main focus is the Roman Age, the archaeological collection displays finds from the Ice Age to the early modern period. The gallery of paintings and sculptures contains works from the late 15th to the 20th century, mostly by regional artists. A highlight is Tilman Riemenschneider's altarpiece of the Twelve Apostles from 1509, one of the key works of the late Middle Ages. And the outstanding works in the print gallery are among the best in southwest Germany. Closed on Mondays.
» www.museum-heidelberg.deUniversity museum
Heidelberg's University Museum, spread across three exhibition rooms on the ground floor of the old University building, documents the history of this prestigious institute. Exhibits include paintings, photos and historical objects, and the collections are complemented by temporary exhibitions. Closed on Mondays, and on Sundays from November to March. Guided tours on request.
» http://web.zoo.uni-heidelberg.deZoological Museum, University of Heidelberg
The "Zoological Cabinet", the predecessor of the university's zoological museum created back in 1819, proved to be very useful as a demonstration collection for the research and teachings of the time. Approximately 80 per cent of the museum's holdings originate from the period 1819-1890. They form the basis of today's museum collection and still form an essential element of the exhibition. This prestigious institution has been open to the public as a museum since 1979 Located in the Institute for Zoology building, it offers insights into animal geography, systematics and comparative anatomy as well as human evolution, the domestication of animals and biodiversity. There are specimens of extinct animal species such as the passenger pigeon, Tasmanian tiger and Javan rhino. The museum also organises lecture series. Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
» www.web.zoo.uni-heidelberg.deBonsai Museum
Opened in 1985, the Bonsai Museum in Heidelberg is one of a kind. Over many years, Paul Lesniewicz, founder and creator of the museum, has collected rare, extraordinary, beautiful and very old bonsai trees from all over the world and displays them here. The museum contains 80-100 examples of the small trees, often only a few centimetres high, including coniferous and deciduous trees, outdoor and indoor plants from all over the world. Visitors can see unusual specimens, trees and tree groups that are almost 100 years old, as well as miniature versions of rupicolous, forest and individual trees from different countries. The art of bonsai trimming makes an impressive feature of the museum and a video helps explain the details. Many great bonsai masters have visited this museum. Visitors can purchase their favourite bonsai from the adjacent Bonsai Centre.
» www.bonsai-centrum.deMuseum of Ecclesiastical Arts
The Jesuit church in Heidelberg bears witness to the counterreformation and is the most prominent architectural monument of the former Jesuit quarter. The Museum of Ecclesiastical Arts with its treasury is adjacent to the church and contains ecclesiastical art from the 17th to the 19th century, and has been open to visitors since 1986. Artistic religious figures, chalices, monstrances and magnificent vestments from past centuries are on show. The permanent exhibition presents a collection of liturgical artefacts and religious art treasures, focusing on priceless creations by Augsburg goldsmiths and silversmiths, ecclesiastical robes made of French silk brocade, religious paintings from the 16th to the 19th centuries and common piety. June to October: closed on Mondays. November to May: open on Saturdays and Sundays only. Guided tours on request.
» www.cvb-heidelberg.deDocumentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma
A permanent exhibition about the fate of Sinti and Roma, and the Nazi acts of genocide against this minority, has been on display at the Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg since 1997. The history and persecution of Sinti and Roma are presented in an exhibition space of approx. 700m² on three floors: from their gradual exclusion and disenfranchisement to their systematic extermination in Nazi-occupied Europe. The exhibition's aim is to promote understanding about the Sinti and Roma Holocaust: a crime against humanity beyond all historical comparisons and on an unimaginable scale. An eternal flame commemorates the over 500,000 Sinti and Roma from all over Europe who are believed to have been victims of the Holocaust. Closed on Mondays. Disabled access. Guided tours on request.
» www.sintiundroma.deCajeth House Museum
Galleries with paintings by famous artists are found the world over. For something different, why not try Cajeth House Museum? Only showcasing work from unheard-of artists, it's still a popular choice with those in the know. Its unique collection of pictures and sculptures by non-professionals is themed around "Primitive Art in the 20th Century". None of these artists attended an academy or worked under a tutor. They work without role models and their creations do not conform to any predetermined style. Closed on Sundays, guided tours on request.
» www.cajeth.dePrinzhorn Collection
This unique collection showcases art created by patients in psychiatric institutes around the turn of 20th century. The works were collected between 1919 and 1921 by German psychiatrist and art historian Hans Prinzhorn (1886-1933). Most of the 5,000 pieces are pencil or crayon drawings. However, the gallery also includes watercolours, oil paintings, textile creations and collages, as well as numerous written compositions and wood sculptures. The collection is the work of 435 patients, 80 of which were female, from various age groups, social backgrounds and professions. Most had been diagnosed as schizophrenics and were hospitalised in facilities in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Closed on Mondays. Guided tours available.
» www.prinzhorn.uni-hd.de