In 1968, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld was opened to the public as a museum and exhibition space for international art of the 20th century. Built by the New York architect and art historian Philip Johnson, this striking pink sandstone cube displays Bielefeld’s permanent collection of Expressionist masterpieces by Beckmann, Heckel, Kirchner, Nolde and Schmidt-Rottluff. Further important exhibits include Cubist sculptures, works by Max Ernst, Man Ray, Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz.

In addition to showing its permanent collections, the Kunsthalle stages four major exhibitions every year focussing on classic Modernism, Expressionism, contemporary art and photography. Exhibitions of Picasso, Matisse, Caspar David Friedrich, Kasimir Malewitsch and Donald Judd have attracted international attention.

Opening times	Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00, Wed 11.00-21.00,
	Sat 10.00-18.00
Entrance fees	adults 8,00 €
	(groups 6,00 €, concessions 2,00 - 6,00 €)
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	50,00 €

The History Museum in the Ravensberg Park vividly illustrates the history of Bielefeld and its surroundings. It documents how people have worked and lived from first settlement up to the present day. Its main focus is Industrialisation, which has been the formative influence on the town and the surrounding countryside since the middle of the 19th century. In the restored buildings of the former Ravensberg Spinning Mill, original machinery from Bielefeld's main industries, famous Bielefeld sewing machines and bicycles, together with documentary evidence, chronicle the working and living conditions of all social levels of the urban population. These exhibits are incorporated into effective working displays, stimulating curiosity and an active interest in history. Permanent collections, the museum workshop, and rooms for special exhibitions, lectures and discussions, give visitors the chance to study Bielefeld past and present.

Opening times	Wed - Fri 10.00 - 17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00 - 18.00
Entrance fees	adults 4,50 €
	(groups 3,50 €)
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	adults 40,00 €

The Huelsmann Museum is located in the former manager's mansion of the Ravensberg Spinning Mill built in 1865. On show are masterpieces of European craft movements from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism. The renowned private collection formed by the art dealer couple Huelsmann, and owned by the town since 1984, provides the core of this arts and crafts museum. It is complemented by pieces from the Hertha Koenig bequest and by the small but very significant collection of the Cultural History Museum originally acquired after the war. Particularly fine are the secular silver, spanning the 16th to 19th centuries, and the works in glass. Ceramics and porcelain are exhibited together with German and English furniture, small bronzes, wall hangings and wallpapers, as well as art from Eastern Asia. Scientific instruments and sundials are displayed in a separate section. In addition to exquisitely crafted everyday objects there are purely decorative items such as ornate goblets and elaborate centrepieces. Every period from the Renaissance to Classicism is represented by unique works of art.

Opening times	Tues-Sat 14.00-18.00, Sun 11.00-18.00
	group visits can be arranged outside opening hours
Entrance fees	adults 5,00 €
	(groups & students 3,00 €)
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	40,00 €

This, the oldest farmhouse museum in Westfalia, has existed on the Ochsenheide hill in Bielefeld since 1917. It received the accolade of a special commendation in the European Museum of the Year Awards in 2001.

The Möllering farm house of 1590 from Rödinghausen/Herford was erected with strong voluntary, private and council support. The museum also has a post mill from 1686, a bake house from 1764, a store house from 1795, and a flax mill from 1826. The buildings bring to life mid-19th century social history in the Ravensberg region and reflect life on a farm as a complex economic and social system. In the barn dating from 1807 there is a café.

Opening times	Feb to Dec:
	Tues-Fri 10.00-18.00, Sat,Sun 11.00-18.00
Entrance fees	adults 3,00 €
	concessions 1,5 €
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	40,00 €

The Bielefeld Kunstverein arts society is based in the centre of the old town, in one of the oldest buildings in Bielefeld, a 16th century nobleman’s residence in the Weser Renaissance style.

Founded in 1929, the Bielefeld Kunstverein now has more than 1,000 members.

Five exhibitions each year and an extensive events programme focus on contemporary themes and the latest art in all media. Arriving young international artists are given a venue as they are discovered by the arts scene.

Opening times	Thur,Fri 15.00-19.00, Sat,Sun 12.00-19.00
	and by prior arrangement
Entrance fees	adults 3,00 €
	concessions 1,50 €
	children free

The new permanent exhibition, ”ausSterben – überLeben” – ”extinction or survival”, intentionally reverses the traditional linear sequence (past – present – future) of natural history displays. The visitor enters a museum which looks back on natural and environmental developments by describing the world of today. Dozens of animals, all endangered by mankind, are conserved in display freezer cabinets lining the visitor route – alongside stories of people and organisations working towards the protection of nature. A further change of perspective focuses on geology. Fossilised witnesses from history enable us to learn from the past. In the museum vaults, visitors can marvel at unique mineral exhibits.

Opening times	Wed - Sun 10.00- 17.00
Entrance fees	adults 4,00 €
	concessions 2,00 €

Hidden behind the houses at Viktoriastraße 48 and 50 lies a former linen works which has been transformed in the last few years into a museum unique in Germany.
The factory was built in 1913 by the Jewish businessman Hugo Juhl, who manufactured table and bed linen, ladies lingerie and gentlemen's shirts. In 1938, the political circumstances forced him to sell.
After the Winkel brothers bought the factory, production continued until the 1980s. The factory then stood idle for several years, until it could be acquired by the Linen Works Preservation Society with financial support from the North-Rhine Westphalia Trust. The factory floor can be viewed still in its original state, and there are changing exhibitions.
Guided tours are available, including tours by torchlight late at night, which are mainly aimed at young visitors, but are also very popular with the "young at heart".

Opening times	Sun 11.00-18.00, guided tours and
	educational events outside opening hours by appointment
Entrance fees	adults 3,00 € students 1,50 €
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	groups (of up to 15) 60,00 €
	student groups (of up to 15) 35,00 €

This museum hosts an exhibition of ”Fans from the Far East”, an interesting selection of Asiatic fans illustrated with local customs and traditions. Old and new Chinese and Japanese fans show the cultural dialogue between these two countries. Halberd-like flag fans from India contrast with blazing Kashmiri colours, leather fans from Indonesia demonstrate intricate openwork art, while woven examples display centuries old techniques. The special exhibition „Ein Traum von Spitzen”- ”A Dream Of Lace” opening in February 2009 shows a wealth of lace designs on fans and other fashion accessories.

Opening times	Wed-Thurs 14.30-17.30
	group visits by appointment
Entrance fees	adults € 3,00 students € 2,00
Guided tours	in English language (by appointment)
	€ 30,00