RPM Summer Festival – Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum

Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum as a Family Venue

The Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum (RPM) Hildesheim is one of the most important museums in Northern Germany. Famous for its unique ancient Egyptian collection and its significant holdings from Peru, China, and antiquity, it offers an exceptionally broad spectrum of cultural histories. The annual summer festival consciously opens the museum as a family venue, making the collections playfully accessible to a young audience.

Museum Courtyard as Festival Setting

The venue is the historic museum courtyard – an open inner courtyard that is equipped with marquees, hands-on stations, seating, and gastronomic offerings for the summer festival. The atmosphere is familiar and relaxed; in contrast to the sometimes contemplative museum visit indoors, an open, inviting festival atmosphere is created.

Hands-on Activities and Children's Program

The focus is on hands-on activities that playfully explore the museum's themes: writing hieroglyphs, bandaging mummies as a game, pottery like in ancient Peru, jewelry making, mini archaeological digs for children, crafting activities with Egyptian or Peruvian motifs. These stations are supervised by museum staff and volunteers.

Guided Tours and Workshops

Special guided tours at the summer festival focus on specific themes and appeal directly to families: a tour for children through the Egyptian collection, a family tour of the Peruvian holdings, short lectures on the history of the museum and its collections. Workshops for different age groups delve deeper into individual topics.

Gastronomy and Atmosphere

The museum's café is open during the summer festival, supplemented by additional stands in the courtyard. Coffee, cake, small snacks, and drinks create a pleasant atmosphere. Those who wish to linger longer in the museum courtyard will find ample seating.

Connection with Collection Visit

Visitors to the summer festival can also view the museum's regular collections. The hands-on activities spark the curiosity of many children and young people to later seek out the real objects in the exhibition rooms that inspired the festival activities. This makes the summer festival a successful bridge between play and a serious museum encounter.