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Panoptikum

Museums ·Hamburg ·Open now
4.313.7K
#7Museums in Hamburg
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About

Panoptikum is Germany’s oldest wax museum on Spielbudenplatz beside Hamburg’s Reeperbahn and Operettenhaus.

Why go

  • Around 120 wax figures across four floors.
  • Figures of historical personalities, international celebrities and Hamburg stars.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 20:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 20:00
Tuesday10:00 – 20:00
Wednesday10:00 – 20:00
Thursday10:00 – 20:00
Friday10:00 – 20:00
Saturday10:00 – 22:00
Sunday10:00 – 20:00

Don't miss

  • Horror sceneHorror scene
  • Medical-historical cabinetMedical-historical cabinet
  • Scene with Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and the Scholl siblingsScene with Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and the Scholl siblings

Know before you go

  • Monday to Friday and Sunday: 10:00–20:00; Saturday: 10:00–22:00.

What's inside

  • Some older figures have less fine detail because the tools and waxworking knowledge available when they were made were more limited.

With kids

  • Children and teenagers can take museum trails.

Tips for your visit

  • For visit enquiries, call +49 40 310317.

Tours and audio guides

Audio guide
Available

Interesting facts3

1/3

  1. A wax figure can take up to two years to make and cost €40,000.

    Panoptikum Hamburg - Wikipedia
  2. 1953

    The founder and his son Herrmann made the figures until 1953.

    Panoptikum Hamburg - Wikipedia

  3. Saskia Ruth and Gottfried Krüger make the figures today.

    Panoptikum Hamburg - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

Around 120 figures are now displayed.

  1. 1879Wood sculptor Friedrich Hermann Faerber founded the museum on Spielbudenplatz.
  2. Before World War IIThe collection had grown to 300 figures.
  3. Wartime destructionIncendiary bombs destroyed the museum; 28 figures were saved.
  4. 1948The museum reopened in restored rooms with the 28 rescued figures.
  5. Current buildingThe current building was built at the old site to designs by Heinz Hermann Faerber. The present display has around 120 figures.
Show all
  1. 2007The façade was redesigned while retaining its 1950s character.

How to get there

  • TrainSpielbudenplatz 3, Hamburg. Take the U3 to St. Pauli station.

Sources: Panoptikum Hamburg - Wikipedia · Hamburg/Altona-St. Pauli - Wikivoyage (see) · Panoptikum Hamburg - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
Spielbudenplatz 3, Hamburg

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Does Panoptikum host children’s birthday parties?

Yes, the museum hosts children’s birthday parties.

Is Panoptikum still owned by its founding family?

Yes, the Faerber family has owned it since it opened in 1879.

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