LWL Special Exhibition “Mahlzeit! How Food Connects Us”

Food as Cultural History

The LWL Museum for Archaeology and Culture in Herne presents its major special exhibition “Mahlzeit! How Food Connects Us” from April 21 to September 13, 2026. A five-month show that understands food not as culinary art, but as a cultural technique for building community – a major archaeological-anthropological theme spanning from early humanity through antiquity and the Middle Ages to the global present.

Concept and Themes

The exhibition follows the traces that food leaves in material culture: tools, dishes, cooking stations, food storage, table manners, festive culture. Across approximately 800 m² of exhibition space – the standard format for LWL major exhibitions – finds from the LWL's collections and loans from European and non-European museums will be displayed. Classic LWL hallmarks: high-quality staging, immersive spaces, multilingual interpretation (including sign language and Easy Language).

Long Night of the Meal – March 27, 2026

As a pre-opening for the special exhibition, the museum invites you on Friday, March 27, 2026, 6 PM–12 AM, to the Long Night of the Meal. A six-hour special program with tastings, readings, cooking stations, live music, and themed tours. A popular opening event that brings the exhibition into the city.

Accompanying Program

A dense educational program runs throughout the five exhibition months:

• Family Sundays with workshops for all age groups
• Blacksmith demonstrations with museum blacksmith Timo (including on June 21, 2026)
• Easter Camp for children during the NRW Easter holidays
• ExtraSchicht – Night of Industrial Culture on Saturday, June 27, 2026, with the LWL Museum as a venue
• Special lectures: Alcohol in civilization, historical cutlery, among others
• Workshops glass beads, blacksmithing courses, Family Sunday “You don't eat alone”

LWL Museum Herne – The House

The LWL Museum for Archaeology and Culture at Europaplatz 1 in Herne is one of Germany's most renowned archaeology museums – operated by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), featuring the permanent exhibition “Searched. Found. Excavated.” on 250,000 years of human history. The special exhibitions are regular crowd-pullers that generate nationwide attention.

Background – Food as a Binding Force

The thematic thread: Shared meals are one of the oldest and strongest tools for social bonding. From the Paleolithic campfire to Greek symposia to Sunday coffee: food creates identity, community, memory. The exhibition explores this thesis with archaeological methodology and cultural-historical depth.