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Red Dot Design Museum

Important notice

Please note: We are open on Boxing Day. The museum will be closed on 24, 25 and 31 December 2025 and on 1 January 2026. We are also open on Mondays during the North Rhine-Westphalia school holidays. We wish everyone a wonderful end to the year.

Discover the world's largest exhibition of contemporary design.

Plan your visit now!

Design objects under the hammer

Charity Auction 2025

The charity auction on the second Sunday of Advent raised a record sum of €16,505. A total of 120 products that had previously been entered in the Red Dot Award were auctioned off, having been donated free of charge by the manufacturers for a good cause. The money will go to Friedensdorf International.

Exhibition reel "70 Years of Design"

Personal insights into the exhibition

In this video, Professor Dr Peter Zec guides us through the exhibition he curated. He presents some of the iconic objects from seven decades and explains their significance for design history and for him personally. » Watch the video

Unique: The Red Dot Design Museum in Essen

More than 1,500 products

Touch and try!

Design trail

Current product design in a historical setting

A museum of a special kind

Everything here is a little different from ‘normal’ museums. The Red Dot Design Museum is designed to give visitors the opportunity to learn some general principles of good design at the beginning of their visit.

» More 

Our Tours

On a tour of discovery at the Red Dot Design Museum

On Sundays, we offer half-hour public tours (in German) at 2 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. respectively. Participation is free of charge (prior registration is recommended).

  • Free public guided tours
  • Individual guided tours
  • Schools in the museum
  • Universities in the museum

Visitor testimonials

  • A fantastic place for lovers of culture and aesthetics. An overview of design trends and an exhibition of design milestones. All in fascinating post-industrial interiors.
    Adam, May 2024 via Google
  • Absolutely impressive, pure aesthetics at the highest level with great attention to detail. Recommendation level: 10/10.
    Eskay C., June 2024 via Google

Outstanding design against a historic industrial backdrop

The fascinating atmosphere of the Red Dot Design Museum Essen is created by the contrast between old and new, industrial architecture and product culture. The museum is housed in the boiler house of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex and is therefore located in the centre of one of the most important industrial monuments of the 20th century, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Today, the building, which was remodelled by British star architect Lord Norman Foster, houses robots, coffee machines and furniture as well as bicycles, computers and a gyrocopter suspended from the ceiling.

Hands-on Museum

A special feature: many of the products on display can be touched and tried out.

At a glance: