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The other day we read in a magazine what 10 reasons there are to visit a museum. Under point 10 it said: There will definitely be one near you. Well - with 1000 museums in North Rhine-Westphalia, we would say: True. We'll talk about the other nine reasons another time. Here are six of the most beautiful museums from our side.

Museum Marta Herford

Moyland Castle

Max Ernst Museum Brühl

Museum Island Hombroich

Museum for Contemporary Art Siegen

Picasso Museum Münster

1

Museum Marta Herford

What is it?

A museum of contemporary art in Herford.

What is so special?

Quite a few things. From the outside, the museum looks, let's say: avant-garde. Deconstructivism has always been definitely an Instagram eye-catcher. The American star architect Frank Gehry designed the museum, it opened in 2005.

Pride is felt here...

... to the fact that Marta was named Museum of the Year in 2014. The museum of contemporary art also establishes a link between art, architecture and design, taking aim at details of the regional economy.

If you're ever in a museum mood....

...you can also drop by the Motorveteranen Sportclub Herford at the Sportpark Waldfrieden in Herford: Historic mopeds, enthusiastic fricklers - definitely an experience for motor fans. More here.

You can find more information about Museum Marta Herford here: Museum Marta Herford: Diversity is the art

And this is how you get to Herford by train: Plan arrival.

The Museum of Contemporary Art was intended to be an unmistakable landmark. This claim was truly fulfilled: The museum building with its undulating roofscape and voluminous brick surfaces is an eye-catcher. © Tourismus NRW e.V.
2

Moyland Castle

What is it?

A neo-Gothic moated castle in Bedburg-Hau, used as a museum of modern and contemporary art since its restoration in the 1990s.

What is so special?

It is the contrasts: What would you expect to find in such a spectacular 15th-century castle, which looks as if the Knights of the Round Table still celebrated their debauched feasts in it? At any rate, not modern, sometimes polarizing art by such gifted provocateurs as Joseph Beuys.

Pride is felt here...

... precisely on that Beuys: In the rather tranquil Bedburg-Hau, you will find the world's largest (!) Beuys collection in the Stiftung Schloss Moyland, and the house is also an international research center.

If you're ever in a museum mood....
... then you should definitely plan some time and take a look at the grandiose gardens of the castle. Here, the baroque garden elements such as the avenue and moat system are still preserved, and you can also visit both the herb garden and a sculpture park. Even the "Squatting Man" can be found there again after thieves stole the sculpture in 2013 - it was then recovered at a Krefeld scrap dealer. More here.

And this is how you get to Bedburg-Hau by train: Plan arrival.

3

Max Ernst Museum Brühl

What is it?

A classicist three-wing complex in Brühl very close to the Augustusburg Castle, in which the Max Ernst Museum was opened in September 2005.

What is so special?

Not surprisingly, everything here revolves around Max Ernst, who was born in Brühl and grew up there until he graduated from high school in 1910, but then declared himself a citizen of the world and as such created an extensive and significant body of work until 1976, in the style of Dadaism and Surrealism.

Pride is felt here...

... to the fact that the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl is the only museum in the entire world dedicated to the "artist of the century". Nowhere else is there such a comprehensive, impressive overview of the work of Max Ernst, who later lived in France and the USA and died in Paris on April 1, 1976.

If you're ever in a museum mood....

... and perhaps you're inclined to be artistic yourself, then it's worth taking a look at the numerous workshops offered by the Max Ernst Museum. Under the label "The Saturday Print", for example, practical workshops take place between October and December in which you could make your own prints using Max Ernst's techniques. More here.

And this is how you get to Brühl by train: Plan arrival.

Cosmopolitan and artist of the century Max Ernst may have lived in Paris and New York, but the grandiose painter, sculptor and graphic artist was born and raised in Brühl in the Rhineland - and this is where the city's most famous son has been brought back for good by building (his) museum... © Tourismus NRW e.V.
4

Museum Hombroich Island

What is it?

An unusual art museum in Neuss-Holzheim, consisting in part of widely spaced pavilions and exhibition rooms.

What is so special?

This facility has little to do with a conventional museum - and that's good news for people who like to experience art in nature. The Museum Insel Hombroich - acquired by Düsseldorf art collector Karl-Heinrich Müller in 1982 and developed into an art project - is located in an extensive park and floodplain landscape on the north bank of the Erft River.

Pride is felt here...

... to the works from Müller's art collection, which include exhibits by - among many others - Hans Arp, Paul Cézanne, Alberto Giacometti or Kurt Schwitters. And, of course, to the original concept of arranging the exhibits not according to styles or chronologies, but as a dialogue between Asian and European art.

If you're ever in a museum mood....

... it would certainly not be a mistake to visit the former rocket station Hombroich - another ambitious project of Müller's, who presented plans for a building and sculpture concept on the site as early as 1996 at the 6th Architecture Biennale in Venice.
More information here.

And this is how you get to Neuss-Holzheim by train: Plan arrival.

5

Museum of Contemporary Art

What is it?

Exactly that: a museum for contemporary art in Siegen.

What is so special?

The museum is mainly about painting, photography and video art, and has two main collections: The Lambrecht-Schadeberg collection focuses on the city's more than 200 Rubens Prize winners, while a collection of more contemporary art, still under construction, curates mainly photography.

Pride is felt here...

... on the fact that with a small focus on the work of the artist couple Hella and Bernd Becher, a regional focus can also be set: Bernd Becher was born and raised in Siegen. Just like Paul Peter Rubens.

If you're ever in a museum mood....
... you should consider a visit to the beer garden of the brasserie "Ristorante e Piazza". Apart from the good cuisine of the restaurant, which is located in the new building of the museum, there is also a wonderful view of the baroque Nassau Castle right next door. More here.

And this is how you get to Siegen by train: Plan arrival.

6

Picasso Museum

What is it?

The first and only Picasso Museum of Germany in Münster.

What is so special?

The museum houses a collection of over 800 prints by the famous Spanish artist that is unique in the world. Among them, except for a few sheets, the complete lithographic work of Picasso. In regular rotation, the museum presents various exhibitions on Picasso on about 600 square meters. In addition, special exhibitions with loans from international museums and collections are dedicated not only to Picasso's life and work, but also to that of his artist friends and contemporaries.

Pride is felt here...

... on the one hand, on Picasso's intermediate states and proofs, which clearly show visitors the sequences of the Spaniard's artistic production processes. And on the other hand, on the architectural peculiarities of the museum: it is located on Picasso Square in Königsstrasse, formerly the most distinguished street in the old town of Münster. The exhibition rooms are located in two historic buildings. The Druffel'sche Hof, built from 1784 to 1788, is one of the most important classicist buildings in the city. At the end of the 1990s it was connected with the adjacent Hensenbau.

If you're ever in a museum mood....

... you can try your hand as an artist yourself on site. In keeping with the themes of the changing exhibitions, the museum offers painting and drawing courses for adults, but also for children and young people. You don't need any previous knowledge - only registration is required. Learn more here.

And this is how you get to Münster by train: Plan arrival.

Cover photo: @Tourismus NRW e.V.

More articles from North Rhine-Westphalia

In collaboration with Tourism NRW e.V.

Reasons for a Vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia there are plenty - the living Cities, the old Castles and palaces and the unique Nature are just a few of them.

 

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