Press releases

With the support of STAWAG, the museum service of the municipal cultural department is offering a free program for families during the Christmas vacations for the third time. The Couven Museum, the Ludwig Forum Aachen, the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, the Zollmuseum and the Centre Charlemagne are once again taking part this year.

"You can experience the complete diversity of our museums and get a taste of many areas. There are guided tours and a combination of exhibition tours with creative workshops in the museums' art workshops," says a delighted Irit Tirtey, Managing Director of Kulturbetrieb Aachen.
Parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews can choose their preferred topic from a total of eleven offers. "The family offers in the museums are free of charge and therefore accessible to as many people as possible. The program offers the opportunity to discover the city's museums and get creative together during the Christmas vacations," says Pia vom Dorp, head of the city's museum service.

Among the varied offers are seven workshops and four guided tours. At the Centre Charlemagne, visitors can discover new pieces of the puzzle of the past and experience the excitement of urban archaeology. At the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, the family workshop "Tierisch gut!" invites you to explore the fabulous animal world and powerful mystical creatures in the museum. At the Couven Museum, the question is why there is actually a pharmacy in the building where chocolate was once sold as medicine. The Customs Museum in Aachen-Horbach is a vivid reminder of the border history of our region - with confiscated souvenirs and stories of adventurous chases. And at the Ludwig Forum Aachen, there is the family workshop "All the birds are back", which ties in with the exhibition "Terrestrial Perspectives".

"We are very happy to support educational and cultural events and, in this case, the art education activities of the city's museums, which do an excellent job. Between the years, it's a great idea to bring families closer to art and culture in special formats," says Kirsten Haacke from STAWAG's Corporate Communications department, explaining her company's commitment.

Family workshop "Tierisch gut!"
for families with children aged 5 and over
Fri 27.12. 2024 / 11 am - 1 pm / Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
Dogs, birds, lions, sharks, crocodiles and dragons - animals are everywhere in the museum! They are depicted in many works of art: as human companions, as pets and farm animals or as powerful mystical creatures. We go in search of small and large animals, mythical creatures and fantasy animals and create our own animals in the practical module.
Family workshop "One is not enough"
for families with children from primary school age
Sat 28.12.2024 / 11 am - 1 pm / Ludwig Forum Aachen
Peter and Irene Ludwig have collected so many works of art that they do not fit into a single museum. We take a look at part of their collection in the exhibition "On the Volcano" and talk about the joy of collecting. In the workshop, we will create our own collection: using geometric stamps, we will quickly and easily create a series of small pictures that will be used as a memory card game.

Family workshop for the exhibition "Viewing things - old treasures revisited"
for families with children aged 5 and over
Sun 29.12.2024 / 11 am - 1 pm / Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
We know the Middle Ages from books or films. The art of the Middle Ages sometimes seems mysterious or a little scary and there are often special stories behind the works. We take a close look at this in the museum. In the art workshop, we create patterns for special garments and fabrics using stamp printing.

Family tour "Adventure Couven Museum"
for families with children from primary school age
Sun 29.12.2024 / 3.30 - 4.30 pm / Couven Museum
How did rich Aachen families live in the 18th and 19th centuries? There is a lot to discover in the Couven Museum: a ballroom, a music room, a mysterious astronomical clock, precious glasses, foot warmers, pocket watch holders and flea traps. And why is there a pharmacy in the house where chocolate was sold as medicine?

Family tour "Stories of the border and customs"
for families with children from primary school age
Mon 30.12.2024 / 2 - 3.30 pm / Customs Museum
The Customs Museum in Aachen-Horbach is a vivid reminder of the border history(ies) of our region. Adventurous chases by customs officers and smugglers in the 1950s come to life here and there are confiscated souvenirs on display, such as ivory bones or a stuffed bear. Knight's armour, swords and halberds tell stories from earlier times.

Family workshop "Ancient crafts"
for families with children from primary school age
Thu 02.01.2025 / 2 - 4 pm / Centre Charlemagne
The Romans were in Aachen before Charlemagne - there is a lot to discover at the Centre Charlemagne! After the tour, the art workshop presents Roman crafts. For example, how did the Romans make string in everyday life? What is ancient sculpture? Everyone can experience "bone work" for themselves and get creative based on ancient models.

Family workshop "Ancient crafts"
for families with children from primary school age
Fri 03.01.2025 / 11 am - 1 pm / Centre Charlemagne
The Romans were in Aachen before Charlemagne - there is a lot to discover at the Centre Charlemagne! After the tour, the art workshop presents Roman crafts. For example, how did the Romans make string in everyday life? What is ancient sculpture? Everyone can experience "bone work" for themselves and get creative based on ancient models.

Family tour "In the footsteps of Emperor Charlemagne"
for families with children from primary school age
Free 03.01.2025 / 2 - 3 pm / Centre Charlemagne
In the footsteps of Emperor Charlemagne, we travel back to the distant past of the early Middle Ages. In the history lab you can learn a lot about everyday life 1200 years ago. What clothes were worn? What did chain mail look like? What food was prepared? How were the magnificent manuscripts created? And what could you buy in the marketplace?

Family workshop "All the birds are back"
for families with children from primary school age
Sat 04.01.2025 / 2 - 4 pm / Ludwig Forum Aachen
For over twenty years, Argentinian artist Mónica Giron worked on a series of hand-knitted garments for extinct and endangered bird species in South America. These garments can be seen in the exhibition "Terrestrial Perspectives", but the birds are still missing. In the workshop, we think about which clothes might fit which birds and design them with a lot of imagination. Who needs a hat, who needs a scarf and who fits the long socks?

Family workshop "Adventure Archaeology"
for families with children from primary school age
Sun 05.01.2025 / 11 am - 1 pm / Centre Charlemagne
Aachen is an ancient city and urban archaeologists are constantly finding new pieces of the puzzle of the past during their excavations. Which tools are used? How is it determined whether the find is old? And who do the finds actually belong to? In the museum workshop, you can try out many of these things for yourself.

Family tour "Stories of the border and customs"
for families with children from primary school age
Mon 06.01.2024 / 11 am - 12.30 pm / Customs Museum
The Customs Museum in Aachen-Horbach is a vivid reminder of the border history(ies) of our region. Adventurous chases by customs officers and smugglers in the 1950s come to life here and there are confiscated souvenirs on display, such as ivory bones or a stuffed bear. Knight's armour, swords and halberds tell stories from earlier times.

Prior registration is required for all offers.

Information and registration:
Museumsdienst Aachen
Mail: museumsdienst@mail.aachen.de
Tel: 0241 - 432 4998

All offers can be found on the website of the museum service at www.museumsdienst-aachen.de