German Leather Museum
Leather - one of the oldest materials known to mankind - is still used today in the manufacture of everyday and luxury objects. With its focus on leather and related materials, the German Leather Museum in Offenbach am Main has a unique selling point in the world of museums: over 30,000 objects bear witness to the thousands of years of global use and the diverse cultural and historical significance of leather as a material, from prehistoric times to the present day. The collection includes a wide range of everyday and luxury objects from the fields of arts and crafts, design and fashion. In recent years, stocks of alternative materials have been specifically expanded to include vegan and recyclable fabrics.
On this page
The presentation to mark the 100th anniversary of the German Leather Museum LEDER.WELT.GESCHICHTE illustrates the extraordinary treasures that have been collected since 1917. Over 130 objects from different epochs and cultures tell the story of the historical and artistic significance of leather in four themed groups - The Leather City of Offenbach am Main, Living with Leather, Leather Makes History and Leather Opens Worlds - and in dialog with each other, drawing attention to both the unifying and contradictory aspects. For example, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's (1749-1832) top hat box, with which he traveled in the last years of his life, meets the slippers of Ulrike von Levetzow (1804-1899), Goethe's last unfulfilled love.
Current and further information on exhibitions and events can be found at www.ledermuseum.de. (opens in a new tab) Discover podcasts and short films, creative instructions and online games at dlm@home (opens in a new tab).
Touching allowed
In the multimedia project space DAS IST LEDER! From A to Z, "Touching is allowed!". In the form of a leather alphabet from A for antelope parchment to Z for goatskin, exhibits from all areas of the collection are presented together with the leather used in each case. Information on the materials and their special features can be accessed at media tables using tactile examples of cowhide, parchment or sharkskin, as well as vegan and recyclable materials such as tinder fungus or Piñatex® (pineapple fibers).
Guided tours and workshops
The German Leather Museum offers public tours of all exhibitions as well as individual tours on request. Public tours take place on selected Sundays at 3:00 pm and on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm. A wide variety of workshops offer the opportunity to get creative and engage with the museum's themes. Public workshops for children, young people and adults take place in the Saturday workshop at regular intervals by appointment
Contact us
Deutsches Ledermuseum
Frankfurter Straße 86
63067 Offenbach