Grassi Museum

The Grassi Museum in Leipzig is a major building complex on Johannisplatz that houses three separate museums: the Museum of Applied Arts, the Museum of Ethnology in Leipzig, and the Museum of Musical Instruments of Leipzig University. The name goes back to the Leipzig merchant Franz Dominic Grassi, who left a large fortune to the city after his death. This bequest funded not only the construction of the museum but also other city projects such as the Gewandhaus. The present building was constructed between 1925 and 1929 on the site of a former hospital and is considered one of the few new museum buildings from the Weimar Republic.

Architecturally, the complex impresses with stylistic echoes of the New Objectivity movement and Art Deco. It extends across several courtyards between Dresdner Straße and Prager Straße and offers a large amount of space for exhibitions. After heavy destruction in an air raid during World War II and a comprehensive restoration in the early 2000s, the museum reopened. In the process, the facade was converted into an artificial-light museum, which replaced the original windows. In the main stairwell, you can also admire restored stained-glass windows by Josef Albers, which underscore the historic character of the place.

For visitors, the Grassi Museum offers a varied look at applied arts, ethnographic collections, and music history. The institution is also known for the Grassimesse, an annual sales fair that showcases high-quality crafts and contemporary work. This tradition, which goes back to an initiative by the former director Richard Graul, became established as a recognized forum for the elite of the decorative arts and still serves today as a platform for quality goods from Germany and abroad.