About mpk

The Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern – Your museum in the Palatinate!

An art museum is much more than a place where paintings and sculptures stand “silently” side by side. It is a living space that collects, preserves, and researches works of art while making them accessible to everyone. Here, history becomes visible, creativity can be experienced, and new perspectives open up. Art museums are bridges between the past and the present – they encourage reflection, wonder, and discussion.

The mpk embodies precisely this aspiration. Its history dates back to the 19th century: founded in 1874 as the Palatinate Trade Museum, it was initially intended to serve regional industry by displaying models of handicrafts. Over time, the museum evolved from a museum of models and samples to a modern art museum. Today, the mpk is a central location for the visual arts in Rhineland-Palatinate and far beyond.

The mpk’s collection comprises around 20,000 works – from paintings and sculptures to prints, modern photography, and contemporary installations. Among them are works by important artists such as Max Slevogt, Pablo Picasso, and Anselm Kiefer. Changing special exhibitions address current topics and make the museum a place that is constantly reinventing itself.

But the mpk is more than just a treasure trove of art. It is a place for encounters and dialogue. Whether young or old, alone, with family, or in a group, the museum invites everyone to discover art in their own way. Children find playful approaches to the works, young people can be inspired, and adults encounter art in new contexts. The museum’s educational offerings in particular—workshops, guided tours, and open studios—make the museum a space where learning and experience go hand in hand.

So why visit the mpk? Because art affects everyone. It tells stories of people, ideas, and times. It broadens our view beyond everyday life and can move, challenge, or simply delight us. At the mpk, there is no age limit for wonder and discovery. Once you’ve been here, you’ll quickly realize that we are an open place for creativity and inspiration—right in the heart of Kaiserslautern, for the Palatinate region and far beyond.