The city museum of Wiesbaden is underground, in the vaulted cellar built in 1900 to hold the market stalls when the market was over.
At a glance
The sam — Stadtmuseum am Markt occupies the Marktkeller, beneath the Dern’sches Gelände in the centre of Wiesbaden. Around 1,300 square metres of vaulted cellar hold the history of the Hessian state capital, from the ice age to recent times, drawn from a collection of some 350,000 objects, with changing special exhibitions alongside. The museum opened on 11 September 2016; admission to the permanent exhibition is free.
Key facts
- What it is: the city museum of Wiesbaden, in a listed market cellar
- The building: built in 1900 by the architect Felix Genzmer as a vaulted cellar on a square plan, about 1,300 m², to store market goods and the market’s portable coverings
- Protection: a listed individual monument
- Museum since: 11 September 2016
- Collection: around 350,000 objects
- Open: Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–17:00, Thursday 11:00–20:00; free entry to the permanent exhibition
History
Felix Genzmer built the Marktkeller in 1900, under the open ground beside the market: a square vaulted cellar of about 1,300 square metres, for the goods sold above and for the coverings that were carried away each week when the stalls came down.
It kept that job for half a century. In the 1970s it was let as storage for garden equipment. In 1999 it was refurbished and turned into a small market hall; when demand for that fell away it was reassigned in 2012 as a venue for events. In 2016 it became the city museum.
What you see
From the street there is not much to see: the cellar is under the square, and the square is a market place with the town hall on one side and the red brick Marktkirche behind it. The museum is what Genzmer built — a vaulted cellar on a square plan, entered from the Dern’sches Gelände.
Practical information
- Entry to the permanent exhibition is free; special exhibitions may be charged.
- Late opening on Thursday, to 20:00.
- The entrance is on the Dern’sches Gelände, in the middle of the city.
Getting there
Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof is about fifteen minutes on foot, or a short bus ride; the museum is in the pedestrian centre beside the market square.
Nearby
- The Marktkirche, the brick church that closes the square.
- Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof, the terminus of 1906.
- The Kurhaus and the spa quarter, ten minutes east.
Sources
- Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden — Der Marktkeller — the cellar built in 1900 by Felix Genzmer, its square plan and area, its protection as a monument, and its uses from market storage to garden store, market hall, event venue and museum.
- Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden, sam — Stadtmuseum am Markt — the 1,300 m² of display, the opening on 11 September 2016, the opening hours, the free admission to the permanent exhibition and the size of the collection.
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →Events here — now on & upcoming
- Christian Dell: From the Silver Jug to Gold Lane (sam – Stadtmuseum am Markt, Wiesbaden)17 Jun 2026 — 15 Nov 2026See the event →
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