Altonaer Museum

About

Altonaer Museum is an art museum in the suburb of Altona in Hamburg, Germany. The museum association was established in 1863, when Altona was still part of Denmark. The museum has a collection of over 300 000 objects connected to the cultural history of Northern Germany.

History: In February 1863 the Altonaer pastor Georg Schaar - alongside others including the naturalist Carl Christian Gottsche and the shipowner Ernst Dreyer - founded a private society for the construction of a museum, which at that time was located at Palmaille 112. Originally it was mainly composed of botanical collections. In 1888 it was briefly closed due to 'failure to meet the public interest' (Versagens des öffentlichen Interesses), and was later taken over by the city. Altona, which had developed into a large industrial city with 180,000 inhabitants (1890) wanted to present itself through representative institutions, which in those days included a museum. A new building, situated between the new town hall and the new railway station on the Kaiserplatz (now Platz der Republik/Museumstraße), was inaugurated on 16 September 1901. For its expansion, a concept was developed by Altonaer teacher Otto Lehmann...