Permanent Exhibitions Perspectives on cultures around the world

Our permanent exhibitions explore cultural diversity and global connections.

till December 31, 2026 Masks of the South Seas Masks from New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and neighboring island states

On the islands of the South Pacific, mask performances were a central feature of social life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – in many places they still are today.

Uri Korea Serenity in the Fast Lane

The long-term cooperation between the Museum am Rothenbaum and the National Folk Museum of Korea has generated a jointly conceived exhibition project. It traces the significance of traditions in the modern age of the East Asian country, which is characterized by pop culture and high-tech.

The Inca Gallery and its Treasure Chambers

In the treasure chambers and the Inca Gallery there are archaeological treasures from 4000 years of cultural history of the pre-Hispanic Andean regions. The exhibition reveals which materials and objects were of particularly high value for the different cultures from Colombia to Argentina and what significance they had.

A Touch of Eternity The Culture of Ancient Egypt

The Ancient Egyptian Collection comprises 800 objects. Excavations by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society) around the Pyramids of Abusir in Egypt, which were acquired by the Museum am Rothenbaum from 1903 onwards, laid the foundation of the collection. Until 1933, the Ancient Egyptian Collection was continuously expanded by acquisitions and donations. Alongside art objects, everyday objects from the period between 3700 B.C. and 400 A.D. are particularly represented.

RAURU Māori Meeting House Masterpiece of the Māori

Wharenui meeting houses play a central role in Māori life. They serve the community as a place of gathering and as a venue for teaching, learning and debate. Religious rituals may take place in front of or inside the house. At the same time, they also fulfil a symbolic function. For example, they are seen as a metaphorical representation of the body and serve as a model of the Māori cosmos and systems of knowledge. The house at MARKK is named after Rauru, who is regarded by the major carving guilds of Te Arawa, Tanui and Mātaatua as the inventor of the art of carving.

First Things Looking Back to Look Forward

The museum takes a look back in order to look forward and presents a selection of the things that were first listed in an index in 1867. For the first time, objects from the museum’s early history are shown, hence illuminating an important but still largely unknown chapter in the history of the city of Hamburg.