Inside the Stadel Museum: Seven Centuries of European Art on the Main

The Stadel Museum, on the south bank of the River Main, is one of the most important art museums in Germany and the anchor of Frankfurt's Museumsufer. Its collection spans more than 700 years of European art, reaching from the early fourteenth century to the present day, with particular strengths in the Renaissance, the Baroque and early Modern art.

The museum grew out of a citizens' foundation. It was established in 1815 through the bequest of the Frankfurt banker Johann Friedrich Stadel, who left his fortune and his art collection to create a public art institute for the city. That civic origin still shapes the institution, which is run as an independent foundation rather than a state museum.

Visitors moving through the galleries encounter Old Masters alongside nineteenth-century painting and a strong holding of modern works. In 2012 the museum opened a subterranean extension, the Garden Halls, beneath its lawn to display contemporary art, lit from above by a grid of circular skylights that have become a landmark in their own right.

The Stadel sits on the Schaumainkai, within easy walking distance of the other museums that line the embankment. The building faces the river, and the walk along the water between exhibitions is part of the appeal.

The museum is generally open from Tuesday to Sunday, with a later closing time on Thursday evenings, and it is closed on Mondays. Checking the current opening hours and any timed-ticket requirements on the museum's own website before setting out is sensible, as special exhibitions can change the pattern. For anyone with an interest in European painting, the Stadel is the single most rewarding stop on the Museumsufer.

The permanent collection is deep enough to reward repeat visits, ranging from medieval and Renaissance panels through Dutch and German painting to Impressionist and modern works and a growing body of contemporary art. Alongside the galleries, the museum runs an extensive programme of guided tours, talks and family activities, and it has invested heavily in a digital collection that lets visitors explore many works online before or after they come. Temporary exhibitions, usually requiring a timed ticket, are mounted several times a year and often draw large crowds.