Deutsches Plakat Museum Essen

The Deutsche Plakatmuseum sits inside the Museum Folkwang in Essen, a purpose-built space that opened in 2010 to house one of the world’s largest collections of posters. The museum began in 1974 when Essen City Council took over the holdings and placed them under the care of Museum Folkwang. Since then curators have steadily added new acquisitions, reaching more than 340 000 objects by 2011. The collection spans political, economic and cultural posters from the earliest examples to the present day, with a strong focus on Germany’s story within Europe. Udo Achten donated over 10 000 union and political posters that now form a key part of the holdings. The displays are arranged chronologically, covering the Kaiserreich, Weimar Republic, East and West German eras, and post-reunification Germany. Special sections also bring together French, Polish and Swiss cultural posters from the late 19th century onwards. Visitors move through galleries that chart each historical period with original posters and modern displays. Temporary exhibitions highlight themes such as the annual selection of the 100 best posters from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The museum also collaborates with the Folkwang University of the Arts to present shows like the 2025 display on photography masters.