When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition runs from April 10, 2026, to September 27, 2026.

What are the opening hours?

The BauernhausMuseum is open during the season from Wednesday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM, as well as Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 11 AM to 6 PM.

What is the entrance fee?

Adults pay an entrance fee of 4 euros, reduced entry is 2 euros. Children and young people have free entry, except for events.

Where is the museum located?

The BauernhausMuseum Bielefeld is located at Dornberger Straße 82, 33619 Bielefeld.

Are there guided tours or educational offerings?

An official opening with a guided tour has been announced for the exhibition. Additionally, the museum regularly offers further events and educational formats.

Is the museum barrier-free?

Information about full barrier-free access was not clearly confirmed in the evaluated sources. It is advisable to inquire directly at the museum before your visit.

Furniture Tells History: Bielefeld Shows Living in the 19th Century

Name: Others Live Differently
Start: 2026-04-10T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-27T20:00:00+02:00
Location: BauernhausMuseum Bielefeld

Others Live Differently: Furniture from the 19th Century at the BauernhausMuseum Bielefeld

The BauernhausMuseum Bielefeld will open an exhibition on April 10, 2026, that sharpens the view of living culture, everyday history, and social differences in the 19th century. Others Live Differently contrasts rural-farming furniture from the Ravensberger Land with a bourgeois-urban furniture culture, making it visible how strongly furnishings, materials, and forms reflect social identity.

Between Chest and Commode: Furniture as Historical Evidence

The exhibition leads directly into an era where cupboards, chests, sideboards, and four-poster beds in rural areas were not only functional but also expressions of craftsmanship, ownership, and representation. Richly painted and carved furniture of peasant culture enters into a tense dialogue with bright surfaces, simple forms, and more modern types such as chests of drawers, benches, and sewing cabinets from the collection of the Stadtmuseum Lippstadt. This juxtaposition opens a precise examination of materiality, function, and social order.

Living Culture as a Reflection of Everyday Life

Visitors to the exhibition will experience not just a mere furniture presentation, but a cultural-historical narrative about living as a social practice. The objects speak of craft traditions, regional forms, and the changing tastes of the 19th century. Particularly, the rural furniture painting of the Ravensberger Land unfolds a special presence in the museum space: color, ornament, and wood surface create a quiet yet compelling exhibition atmosphere.

A Contribution to the Thematic Year Home, Sweet Home

Others Live Differently is a contribution from the Bauernhausmuseum Bielefeld to the thematic year Home, Sweet Home of the Museum Initiative OWL in cooperation with the Stadtmuseum Lippstadt. This gives the exhibition an additional artistic and cultural educational dimension: it shows how museums open spaces for thought about living, identity, and social differences through collection objects. For visitors, an aesthetic experience emerges that surprisingly closely connects historical proximity and today's presence.

Visit, Education, and Museum Experience

The presentation is aimed at art and culture enthusiasts as well as families who want to experience living forms, craftsmanship, and regional history in their original context. The BauernhausMuseum Bielefeld is one of the most impressive places for such an encounter with works and spaces: historical architecture, museum staging, and the focus on everyday objects make the tour vivid and lively.

Conclusion: Others Live Differently invites you to an insightful, atmospheric journey through the understanding of furniture and living in the 19th century. Anyone interested in arts and crafts, historical living culture, and museum education should experience this exhibition live.