The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung on Schaumainkai 71 is closed for renovation work and reopens on 18 November 2026, when the exhibition Athena, the Stage is Yours opens alongside the permanent collection. The Liebieghaus Café stays open during the closure, so the riverside villa remains a usable stop even while the galleries are shut. This guide covers what the collection actually contains, how the ticket categories work, and how to decide whether to pair a visit with the Städel.
What the Liebieghaus Is
The museum occupies Villa Liebieg at Schaumainkai 71 and holds a sculpture collection that spans roughly five thousand years, from Ancient Egypt to Neoclassicism. Its holdings are organised into three strands: Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and Renaissance to Neoclassicism. That range makes it a different proposition from a painting-led gallery, since the visit is built around carved, cast and modelled objects rather than canvases. For wider planning, see Frankfurt am Main: Landmark Visitor Guides.
The museum also runs a polychromy research strand examining the original colouring of ancient sculpture, which shapes how some objects are presented and interpreted. You do not need to follow the research to enjoy the collection, but it explains why certain pieces are shown with reconstructed colour rather than bare stone. If you want the broader context of the embankment around it, the Museumsufer Frankfurt guide sets out how the riverside museums relate to each other.
Why 2026 Is an Awkward Year to Plan
The operator states plainly that the Skulpturensammlung is currently closed because of renovation work, with reopening from 18 November 2026. Until that date, there is no sculpture collection to walk through, whatever a ticket page or map listing may suggest. Treat any plan built around the galleries before mid-November 2026 as unworkable.
The Liebieghaus Café remains open while the rest of the building is closed, and the operator gives its hours as Tuesdays through Sundays from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm. Note the difference: those are café hours, and the museum has not published gallery opening hours for the post-reopening period in the material reviewed here. Check the operator's own visit page closer to your travel date rather than assuming the café timetable applies to the collection.
Frankfurt's wider event calendar is worth checking alongside the reopening, particularly if you are building a longer stay around the museums. The city's tourist board publishes seasonal festivals and event dates that can shape which periods make sense for a visit.
The Opening Exhibition: Athena, the Stage is Yours
The exhibition Athena, the Stage is Yours opens from 18 November 2026, the same date the museum reopens after renovation. It is presented under a Parthenon-related theme, which fits the institution's strength in ancient sculpture. Your Liebieghaus admission covers the collection and special exhibitions together, so there is no separate exhibition ticket to chase.
Because the reopening date and the exhibition opening coincide, the first weeks after 18 November 2026 may draw more visitors, though the operator has not published crowd forecasts. If you have flexibility, a visit a little further into the run gives you a calmer look at the same objects. The operator has not published a closing date for this exhibition in the material reviewed, so confirm the run before booking travel specifically for it.
Tickets Explained
Regular admission is 12 euros on Tuesdays to Sundays and holidays, with a reduced rate of 10 euros on the same days. The reduced rate covers school pupils, students, vocational trainees, visitors with a disability rating of 50 per cent or higher, unemployed persons, members of certain professional art associations, and visual artists who are members of bbk e.V., with valid identification required. Because these prices sit on the operator's ticket page, they are the figure to compare against anything you see elsewhere.
Holders of a Frankfurt-Pass or Culture Pass pay different rates at the box office after showing valid proof: adults pay 1 euro, young people aged 12 to 18 pay 50 cents, and children under 12 are free. These are counter rates, not online rates, so bring the pass and expect to buy in person. If a certificate of disability carries the letter B, admission for one accompanying person is free of charge.
The operator sells online tickets, and the ticket page is the right place to check current wording and any changes before you travel. Note that the site describes online purchase without promising timed entry slots or stating that advance booking is mandatory. Allowing roughly two hours for the collection and a temporary exhibition is a reasonable planning assumption rather than an official recommendation.
Free Admission and Städelverein Members
Several groups enter free, but the rules differ in ways that catch people out. Children under 12 are admitted free, and under-18s are admitted free when accompanied by at least one related adult holding a valid online ticket, shown at the ticket counter with photo or student ID ready. Press pass, ICOM-Card, MuseumsuferCard or MuseumsuferTicket holders, voucher holders and Städelverein members also qualify for free admission, though a free ticket must still be requested at the counter.
Members of the Städelverein and the Städelclub have admission to the collection and all special exhibitions free at all times, and the operator adds that this comes without queueing. That benefit belongs to the membership rather than to any shared ticket between the two museums. If you are weighing membership against single admissions, do the maths on how many Frankfurt museums you realistically plan to visit.
Family, Group and School Tickets
The family ticket covers a maximum of two adults and at least one minor child, up to six children. One practical catch matters more than the price: it is not available in the Liebieghaus online shop and can only be bought at the ticket office of the Städel Museum. The operator points to its ticket page for the current family price, so check there rather than assuming a figure.
Group members qualify for the reduced fee with a minimum group size of 10, at 8 euros on Tuesdays to Fridays and 10 euros on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Groups must arrange their visit in advance by phone or through the operator's contact form, so a spontaneous arrival of ten people will not qualify. Day-care groups and school classes up to the 6th form enter free, while 7th form and above with a teacher pay 2 euros per person, as do student groups with a lecturer.
Gift certificates are sold at the museum's ticket counter and in its online shop, and they are valid for the Liebieghaus, the Städel Museum, both cafés and the shops. Free tickets and gift certificates are generally valid for three years from issue unless the certificate says otherwise. That flexibility makes them a workable option if you want to give a visit as a present without fixing a date.
MuseumsuferCard and MuseumsuferTicket
The MuseumsuferCard and MuseumsuferTicket give holders free admission to all participating Frankfurt museums, which includes the Liebieghaus. Two limits are worth knowing before you rely on them: priority admission is not covered, and the operator states that priority entry is not possible during special exhibitions either. On presentation of the card or ticket plus photo ID at the ticket counter, you are issued a free admission ticket.
If your Frankfurt trip is built around several riverside museums, the card changes the economics of the whole stay rather than just this one building. The Museumsufer Frankfurt guide above compares what sits along the embankment so you can decide how many entries you would actually use. Check the current participating-museum list and terms before buying, since cooperation rules can change.
Städel and Liebieghaus: Separate Tickets, Shared Project
The two institutions are separate, with separate admission, and no combined Liebieghaus and Städel ticket appears in the material reviewed here. The genuine link between them is a co-presented exhibition: Mary Magdalene. Sin. Pray. Love., described as the first comprehensive exhibition in the German-speaking world devoted to the figure, runs until 17 January 2027 at the Städel Museum. If Mary Magdalene is your reason for coming, you will be at the Städel, not the Liebieghaus.
Both museums sit on the same side of the Main and belong to the same Städelverein support structure, which is why visitors often assume one ticket covers both. Budget for two admissions if you want both collections, and check each operator's own pages rather than assuming a joint arrangement. If you are choosing between them rather than visiting both, the Frankfurt museum decision guide sets out the trade-offs.
Location, the Café and Mid-Visit Planning
The museum stands at Schaumainkai 71 on the Museumsufer, the riverside strip where several of Frankfurt's museums cluster. The operator's address page is the place to check directions, and it publishes contact details for the museum if you need to ask about a specific arrangement. Because the embankment museums sit close together, a single afternoon can realistically cover one collection well rather than two badly.
The Liebieghaus Café, described by the operator as a small oasis by the river Main, is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, including throughout the renovation closure. During the closure that makes it the only part of the address you can actually use, and a sensible low-commitment stop if you are walking the embankment. Once the collection reopens, a break between the ancient and medieval floors fits naturally into a longer visit.
What to Confirm Before You Travel
Keep the operator's ticket page open while you plan and again in the days before you go, because that is where admission conditions and any changes are published. The museum has not published gallery opening hours for the period after reopening in the material reviewed, so treat any timetable you see elsewhere as unverified. If you need certainty about a group booking, a school visit or an accompanying-person ticket, use the operator's phone number or contact form.
Two dates anchor any planning for late 2026 and early 2027: the Liebieghaus reopens from 18 November 2026, and the Mary Magdalene exhibition co-presented with the Städel runs until 17 January 2027. If you are travelling for both, build the trip around the overlap and confirm each museum's arrangements separately. Do not assume a single booking covers both addresses.
Plan Your Visit
The single most useful thing to know about the Liebieghaus right now is that its galleries have been closed for renovation and reopen from 18 November 2026, when Athena, the Stage is Yours opens with the collection. Until then, the café remains the only open part of the address. Build your dates around the reopening rather than around any older listing.
Once open, admission is straightforward: one Liebieghaus ticket covers the collection and special exhibitions, with reduced, pass-holder and free categories decided at the counter. Remember that the family ticket is sold only at the Städel Museum ticket office, that groups of ten or more must arrange ahead, and that the Städel and Liebieghaus do not share a ticket. Confirm the details on the operator's own pages before you commit to travel. For related planning, see Frankfurt am Main: Itineraries and City Travel Guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Liebieghaus open right now?
No. The operator states that the Skulpturensammlung is closed because of renovation work. The Liebieghaus Café stays open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, but the sculpture galleries themselves are not accessible until the reopening date.
When does the Liebieghaus reopen?
The museum reopens from 18 November 2026, the same date the exhibition Athena, the Stage is Yours opens alongside the permanent collection. Check the operator's site before booking travel, since reopening arrangements can be adjusted.
How much is admission to the Liebieghaus and who qualifies for a reduction?
The operator's ticket page lists the current rates and the full list of reduced categories, which include pupils, students, trainees, unemployed visitors, visitors with a disability rating of 50 per cent or higher, and members of specified art associations. Valid identification is required for reduced admission, and Frankfurt-Pass or Culture Pass holders pay separate counter rates. Because these figures are set by the museum, check the ticket page rather than relying on second-hand listings.
Do the Liebieghaus and Städel share a ticket?
They do not. The two are separate institutions with separate admission, and no combined ticket appears in the operator's information. The real connection between them is the co-presented Mary Magdalene exhibition, which runs at the Städel Museum until 17 January 2027, while the Liebieghaus reopened its own galleries from 18 November 2026.
Is the family ticket available online?
No. The family ticket, which covers a maximum of two adults and at least one minor child up to six children, is not sold in the Liebieghaus online shop and is only available at the ticket office of the Städel Museum. Check the operator's ticket page for the current family price before you go.
Does the MuseumsuferTicket cover the Liebieghaus?
Yes. MuseumsuferCard and MuseumsuferTicket holders receive free admission to participating Frankfurt museums, including the Liebieghaus, and are issued a free ticket on showing the card or ticket plus photo ID at the counter. Priority admission is not included, and the operator notes that priority entry is not possible during special exhibitions either.
