The Rostock Museum of Cultural History’s collection of art has its roots in the collection of the “Rostock Art Society“. Today it comprises about 1600 paintings including the significant collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th to the 20th century, views of Rostock by local artists, the collection of the artists’ colonies in Schwaan and Ahrenshoop and also numerous portraits from sources in Rostock and Mecklenburg. The collection of prints and drawings has about 12,000 folios from the 16th to the 20th century.  There are also many sculptures dating from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century, including the famous altar from St. John’s Church (Johanniskirche) in Rostock from the 15th century, sculptures by Barlach, Marcks, Belling or Lehmbruck. Our collection is one of the largest in Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania along with those of the  Staatliches Museum Schwerin, the Vorpommersches Landesmuseum and the Neubrandenburg Kunstsammlung.

The cultural history collections served from the start to document the history of the city and depict the development of the city’s economy and the life of the citizens of Rostock. The collections contain numerous unique documents of urban life and economics during the last six centuries.

These include the silver and pewter collection of more than just regional significance with its objects from the Rostock craft guilds and Rostock’s craftsmen, collections of ceramics, clocks, instruments and objects of everyday life from the 17th to the 20th century. These collections comprise about 35,000 objects. The numismatic collection has about 25,000 objects and is one of the most important in Northern Germany. The collection of furniture houses around 600 and the collection of militaria 900 objects. These include Rostock’s cannons and the remaining armaments of the Rostock  arsenal, an outstanding collection of city defences in the past six centuries. The pre-historic and proto-historic collection is archaeology-oriented and has about 25,000 exhibits.