The Von der Heydt Museum is a world-class art venue – right in the heart of Wuppertal city centre. And it is celebrating an anniversary: on 25 October 2027, it will be 125 years old! It has borne its current name since 1961, honouring its key patrons, the members of the von der Heydt family of art collectors and bankers – representing the many citizens who have contributed to its development and continue to do so to this day. The neoclassical building, with its distinctive round-arched windows in the Elberfeld pedestrian zone, was built between 1827 and 1842 based on designs by Johan Peter Cremer. It originally served as the town hall and is a major architectural monument.

From the very beginning, the Von der Heydt Museum has been shaped by the middle classes of the towns of Barmen and Elberfeld, which merged to form ‘Wuppertal’ in 1929. The fact that it now boasts one of Germany’s richest art collections is primarily thanks to the citizens of Wuppertal and their appreciation of art and sense of community.