Temporarily Closed
The Museum Judengasse will remain closed for the time being. Visit our digital offerings until the opening.
About the Museum
Just when the city of Frankfurt wanted to construct a new public utility company building in 1987, it discovered the foundation of several houses of the former Judengasse (Jews Lane)–Europe’s oldest Jewish ghetto. Public debate followed, resulting in part of the archaeological finds being made into a museum. This museum was redesigned in 2016 and awarded the museum prize of the Savings Banks Association Hesse-Thuringia’s cultural foundation.
Europe’s first Jewish ghetto was located in Frankfurt. Created in 1460, more than 3,000 people lived in the ghetto at various times. Museum Judengasse brings this story back to life. The film offers a brief introduction to the history of the Frankfurt Judengasse and the Museum.
About the Exhibition
The entrance to the museum and start of the permanent exhibition makes reference to the eventful past of this historical location. It reminds visitors of the deportation of Frankfurt Jews and the destruction of the Börneplatz Synagogue, while also bringing the second oldest Jewish cemetery north of the Alps, accessible via the museum, into view.
The exhibition amidst the ruins of five homes in the Judengasse offers different perspectives of everyday Jewish life in the early modern period with a display of ritual objects and everyday items once produced or used in this area.
Accessibility and Interactive Media
Barrier-free access and on-site offers: The Museum Judengasse features barrier-free access and offers visually impaired visitors their own audio tour through the exhibition. In addition to an introductory film, the museum offers several audio stations throughout the exhibition tour. Hands-on stations and the exhibition catalog invite children to become detectives on an investigative walk through the ruins.