Stadtmuseum Pforzheim

The Stadtmuseum Pforzheim sits in the former church of St Martin and the neighbouring old schoolhouse in the Brötzingen district. The building’s twin towers mark the entrance on Westliche Karl-Friedrich-Straße. Its location links the modern city centre with the historic riverside quarter. The museum grew from a local antiquities collection started in 1897 by Alfons Kern. After wartime destruction in 1945, the collection reopened in 1952 and moved again in 1961 before settling here in 1974. Since 1995 it has been known as the Stadtmuseum Pforzheim. Regular special exhibitions, such as the 2018 show on partner towns, keep the programme fresh. Visitors find three permanent displays: one on timber raftsmen and goldsmiths, another on a 16th-century princely wedding, and a third on the city’s devastation in 1945. The vaulted church nave houses the main exhibits, while the old schoolrooms host smaller galleries. Outside, the Brötzingen streetscape preserves the character of an old riverside suburb.