Art Museum Suermondt-Ludwig in Aachen

Art Museum Suermondt-Ludwig is located in the Western part of the old town. It contains collections of medieval sculptures, church altars and paintings from the 12th and 16th centuries. There is also an extensive collection of 17th-century Dutch artists, as well as graphic drawings, including engravings by Albrecht Durer. 

Museum Suermondt-Ludwig was created by the Union of museums of Aachen. It was based on the art collection of Barthold Suermondt, who gave it to the town in 1882. In 1977, the collection of the spouses Irina and Peter Ludwig was donated to the museum. After this, the Museum was called the Museum of Suermondt-Ludwig. The museum`s collection was constantly growing at the expense of other gifts. 

For several decades, the museum was located in the building of the Old Redoubt of the former fortress walls. In 1901, the museum`s collection was placed in the building of the manufacturer Eduard Cassaleta. This house was built in 1884 in the Venetian style. 

The collection of the Suermondt-Ludwig Museum is based on works of art on religious themes: wooden sculptures and wooden carved altars. The oldest works date back to the 12th century. There are many paintings by Dutch artists such as Frans Hals, William Claesz Heda, Jacob Jordaens. Also here you can see stained glass windows from churches, jewelry and applied art collections. The Suermondt -Ludwig Museum has a large collection of graphics. There are some engravings by Durer and Rembrandt among them.