Pforzheim Jewellery Museum

Exterior view (Winfried Reinhardt)

Devoted to the history of jewellery, the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (Pforzheim Jewellery Museum) is the only museum of its kind worldwide.   
Some 2,000 exhibits bear witness to the rich diversity of jewellery created over the course of five millennia, starting from prehistoric times to the present day. The museum’s highlights include exquisite specimens from Greek and Etruscan antiquity and from the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, as well as outstanding examples of Art Nouveau jewellery, plus its unique collection of contemporary art jewellery created since 1960.
The main focus of the permanent exhibition is on treasures from classical antiquity, the Renaissance and Art Nouveau periods, a comprehensive ring collection and contemporary art jewellery creations, plus pieces that illustrate the history of the jewellery industry in Pforzheim, the »City of Gold«.
Two other collections, on permanent loan and displayed since 2006, provide important complementary insights into the diversity of jewellery: the Eva and Peter Herion collection of ethnographic jewellery, and the Philipp Weber pocket watch collection owned by the Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw savings bank.
The Reuchlinhaus, which houses the museum, is also an architectural gem, built in 1961 to designs by architect Manfred Lehmbruck in the International Style.