Kaiser Wilhelm Museum

1897 Foundation

The foundation for the Kunstmuseen Krefeld was laid with the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum. The building on Karlsplatz fulfilled the function of both a museum and a memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm I.

Under the management of the first director, Friedrich Deneken (1857 – 1927), it soon developed into one of the most progressive museums in the field of fine and applied arts and architecture. Paintings, sculptures, posters, ceramics, Japanese woodcuts and everyday objects were presented with the aim of creating a style and promoting a new form of "good taste".

Karlsplatz, Krefeld, Postkarte 1882, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, south-east-side, postcard, about 1897, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Nord-Ost-Seite, 1897, Archiv Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, hallway, inside, 1966, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Treppenanlage, Innen, 1898, Archiv Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Statur Kaiser Wilhelms I. von Gustav Heinrich Eberlein (1847–1926)
Nordseite des Kaiser Wilhelm Museums, nach 1979, Foto: Volker Döhne

Friedrich Deneken (1857-1927), first director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Poster for the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum by Alfred Mohrbutter, 1897, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Photo: Volker Döhne

Sign KWM of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Drawing by Otto Eckmann, 1897, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Photo: Volker Döhne

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, second floor, exhibition of French art, 1907, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, reading room, main floor, ca. 1900, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, German Renaissance, main floor, ca. 1900, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

1912 extension

Shortly after the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum opened, an extension was planned for reasons of space, which was realized in 1912 with a south and north wing. The museum was closed in 1942 due to the war. The building, which now mainly served as a museum of fine art, survived the Second World War unscathed. After 1945, the rooms were also used by municipal offices and institutions until the 1960s.

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, drawing by the architect Hugo Koch (1846-1921), Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, south-west-side, after 1912, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Von der Leyen room, nach 1912, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Post card by Peter Wolbrandt on the occasion of the opening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum's annex, 1912, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

1923 Johan Thorn Prikker

On the second floor is the mural Age of Life by Johan Thorn Prikker (1868 – 1932) depicting the cycle of life. The artist created the cycle in fresco-secco technique (on a dry layer of casein) for the site in 1923.

Johann Thorn Prikker (1868-1932), working on the wall painting „The Ages of Man“ (Childhood), in the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 1923, Photo: unknown

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, room with the wall painting „The Ages of Man“, Johann Thorn Prikker exhibition, 1932, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Johann Thorn Prikker (1868-1932), „The Ages of Man“ (Childhood), 1923, wall painting, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

Johann Thorn Prikker (1868-1932), „The Ages of Man“ (Youth), 1923, wall painting, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

Johann Thorn Prikker (1868-1932), „The Ages of Man“ (Manhood), 1923, wall painting, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

Johann Thorn Prikker (1868-1932), „The Ages of Man“ (Old Age), 1923, wall painting, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

Johan Thorn Prikker (1868–1932), wall decoration for the Dutch-Indian art exhibition, 1906, drawing, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Photo: Kunstmuseen Krefeld/Volker Döhne

1969 Modernization

Under director Paul Wember (1913 – 1987), the museum was extensively modernized between 1960 and 1968. This first structural measure in the era of the Federal Republic of Germany also led to the dismantling of many symbols of the Kaiser Reich: the Hall of Honor with the Imperial Staircase was removed. The outside staircase with its representative function was demolished. Since then, the entrance to the museum has been at ground level with the square. This direct entrance was intended to set an example of openness in the still young democracy of the 1960s. The statue of the emperor was removed from inside the building and reinstalled outside the museum in 1979. The name 'Kaiser Wilhelm Museum' was retained and continues to trigger controversial discussions to this day.

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 1969, Collection, Pop Art and Minimal Art, Photo: Schambach & Pottkämper

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, entrance area, 1969, Photo: Schambach & Pottkämper

Reopening of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 1969, opening speech Paul Wember (1913-1987), Director, Photo: K.-H. Lengwenigs

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, main facade, east, 1971, Archive Kunstmuseen Krefeld

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 1969, Baroque collection, Photo: Schambach & Pottkämper

The building today

From 2012 to 2016, the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum was renovated from top to bottom and refitted in keeping with international climate and safety standards. The historical substance was restored, reconstructed and rebuilt in keeping with landmark principles. As such, original construction elements from the time of the turn of the 20th century can now be encountered in the interior modern sequences and up-to-date technology.