Deutsches Ledermuseum: AT A TURNING POINT

110 years, over 150 exhibitions, and over 30,000 items in the collection – With one final major exhibition before its temporary closure, the Deutsches Ledermuseum is kicking off the process leading up to its upcoming comprehensive renovation. The retrospective Deutsches Ledermuseum: AT A TURNING POINT delves into the museum’s exciting and eventful past while also offering a glimpse into its potential future design.

The history of the museum is traced from its founding in 1917 by Prof. Hugo Eberhardt (1874–1959), through periods of historical upheaval and its development into an internationally significant museum specializing in leather, to its thematic reorientation since 2015. A wide range of archival material, photographs, and contemporary documents bring this transformation to life in a decentralized exhibition layout featuring interactive media stations on all three floors of the museum. A walk-through timeline, accompanied by original documents, posters, postcards, and selected film scenes—including clips from Polizeiruf 110 and the Augsburger Puppenkiste—documents key events, exhibitions, and the evolution of the museum, which will celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2027.

The exhibition is intended not only as a retrospective but also as a last stage of this familiar location – a place that once again gives grounds for celebration. The multifaceted events program will run for several weeks and will include open workshops, concerts, and films – culminating in a truly final weekend and the building’s closure to the public.

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to generous funding from Dr. Marschner Stiftung

and Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain.