13th Aachen Long Night of Museums

13th Aachen Long Night of Museums 2026 — one city, six houses, one night

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Aachen transforms into a connected museum city for one night. The 13th Long Night of Museums opens the most important institutions until late at night — a classic format that has become a firm fixture in Aachen's early summer cultural calendar. A single admission ticket, a well-thought-out shuttle system, six houses accessible on foot and by bus.

Participating Institutions

Aachen boasts an exceptionally dense cultural landscape of museums — and the Long Night brings together the most important ones under one program umbrella:

• Ludwig Forum for International Art — highlights of modern and contemporary art, international collection (Pop Art, Fluxus, Avant-garde)
• Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum — Old Masters, medieval sculpture, Rubens and Dutch painting
• Couven Museum — bourgeois living and domestic culture of the 18th/19th centuries
• International Newspaper Museum (IZM) — a unique collection of historical newspapers from around the world
• Treasury — UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shrine of St. Mary, Lothair Cross, Bust of Charlemagne
• Art from NRW in the Old Imperial Cathedral of Kornelimünster — contemporary art from North Rhine-Westphalia in the historic monastery ensemble

Shuttle System — the key to night hopping

Aachen's Long Night is one of the best-organized shuttle concepts among German museum nights. ASEAG (Aachen Public Transport) runs between the exhibition venues in Aachen every 15 minutes from 6:00 PM to 1:45 AM. Additionally, there is a special shuttle between the central bus station (Bushof) / Elisenbrunnen in the city center and the monastery complex of Kornelimünster on the outskirts (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM).

Program Concept — Concerts, Guided Tours, Performances

The participating institutions each organize their own special programs: themed guided tours, concerts in exhibition halls, artist talks, performances and DJ sets in the foyers, culinary accompaniments. The specific mix varies from institution to institution — typically classical music at the Suermondt-Museum, electronic performances at the Ludwig Forum, lectures at the IZM, special tours at the Treasury, and open-air programs in Kornelimünster.

Aachen — City of the UNESCO World Heritage Coronation

The independent city of Aachen (Städteregion Aachen), with around 250,000 inhabitants, is one of Germany's most culturally and historically rich cities. The coronation city of Charlemagne, seat of the UNESCO World Heritage cathedral, home of RWTH Aachen University and the endpoint of the Carolingian picture route. In such a city, the Long Night of Museums is more than just a PR event — it is a declaration of love for art and history. The 13th edition shows: the concept works, bringing together new and old Aacheners and visitors from the border region every year.