Permanent Exhibitions
Sacred Art
The historic refectory from around 1480 is one of the loveliest gothic rooms on the German Baltic coast. It houses the collection of medieval works of art from Rostock’s monasteries and convent and part of the valuable treasure of the Convent of the Holy Cross.
Dutch paintings
The Rostock Cultural History Museum’s collection of Dutch and Flemish art of the 16th to 19th century is outstanding. It is not only one of the most important in Northern Germany but is unique in the North East. The extensive collection of paintings by such artists as Jan Breughel, Rachel Ruysch or Willem Kalff is complemented by a large collection of prints and drawings, among others by Rembrandt and van Dyck.
Rostock on art works
The impressive panorama of the port and Hanseatic city of Rostock can be seen in the views of Rostock dating from the early 19th to 20th century. Pictures by Georg Friedrich Kersting, Ludwig Hornemann and others convey an impression of the city on the Warnow with its four great churches and also demonstrate the importance of the city and show how the face of the city has changed over two centuries. Impressive works of art give an impression of the work of artists in Rostock and also reveal the face of the city in the past.
Ostracised Modernity
In the permanent exhibition in the former dormitory the Cultural History Museum presents two core themes from its art collection. The museum’s Bernhard A. Böhmer collection is the last complete set of works from the Nazi “Degenerate Art“ campaign in 1937.
Fine Arts
The collection of art in Mecklenburg contains a cross-section of art in the region from the first half of the 20th century.
Historic toys
In the exhibition of historical toys from its extensive collection, model railways, dolls and doll’s houses, puppet theatres, children’s books, sets of building bricks and much more besides, the Rostock Cultural History Museum offers an insight into the world of children’s play, especially of the upper classes, in the past two centuries. In any presentation of historical toys the main character and object of the exhibition, the child, will inevitably be absent or be idealized. Here the subject is complemented by numerous portraits of children and depictions of children at play. Some additional material is a reminder of the everyday life of children of all social classes as well as the rosy world of toys.
Money
The Rostock Cultural History Museum is home to the most important collection of the history of Rostock coinage. There are also collections of North German coins, coins of the Wendish treasury from the hey-day of the Hanseatic League, medals, banknotes, stamps, and the tools of the Rostock master coin makers. The focus of the permanent exhibition is on the objects from the extensive collections of Rostock and Mecklenburg coins. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Rostock’s coin and money history from its first beginnings up to the 19th century.
Decorative Arts
The collections of applied art comprise around 35,000 objects. Among them are valuable and extensive collections of pewter, silver, ceramics, porcelain and clocks and also historical jewellery.
