The Historical Museum of the Palatinate is a public foundation. Member organizations are the Palatinate District Association, the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Palatinate Historical Society, the city of Speyer, the Diocese of Speyer and the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate. Its chartered mission is “to operate, maintain, expand and open the Historical Museum of the Palatinate to the public.” In Rhineland-Palatinate, the museum plays the role of a state museum for the Palatinate.
Established in 1999, the Young Museum at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer was the first museum for children and teenagers in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) globally recognized Code of Ethics for Museums forms the foundation of our professional work. In keeping with the ICOM’s definition of a museum, the Historical Museum of the Palatinate is “a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.”
Qualified, dedicated and motivated employees are the foundation of our success. Women and men of all backgrounds and ages work with equality of opportunity and respect for each other regardless of their different life plans. We organize the workflows at the museum to be transparent and efficient. Our communication is professional and mutually respectful. We share knowledge and experience inside and outside the museum. We take advantage of the continuing education programs of the Palatinate District Association and museum and professional associations to adapt our work to technological and social trends. One of the principles of our collaboration is diligent encouragement of a work-life balance. The Historical Museum of the Palatinate is appreciative of its community volunteers and does everything it can to support them.
Consonant with a positive corporate culture, the Historical Museum of the Palatinate has adopted a mission statement intended to form the museum’s common identity and strengthen the enduring bond between the people who work here. The mission statement additionally provides guidance for the education and training of young museum professionals to whom the Historical Museum of the Palatinate is particularly committed.
1. Visitor Focus / Accessibility / Family Friendliness
Our exhibition and event programs are focused on visitors’ needs and interests and geared especially toward families and school groups. We view accessibility as an important responsibility.
2. Quality Optimization
We strive to improve our organizational operations continuously in every area of work. We measure the quality of our work by our visitors and partners’ demands and wishes, whose satisfaction and interest we wish to sustain.
3. Education
Consonant with lifelong learning, we open spaces for creative and sustainable ideas to all visitors. The museum fulfills its educational mission as an informal learning facility. It employs educationally sound and activity-based teaching to enable learning about history and culture in a fun way from experts.
4. Regional Ties and Collections
The collections we keep, study and display relate state history throughout all eras. As the Palatinate’s cultural memory, we foster its positive perception and strengthen the regional sensibility and identity of the people of this region.
5. Collaboration with Partners
We provide the impetus for regional, national and international collaborative projects. We initiate and maintain the connectivity of culture, scholarship, business and tourism.
6. Special Exhibitions
We regularly host major special exhibitions and events about cultural-historically and socially relevant issues of national significance. Our family exhibitions are particularly distinguished by interaction and activity-based educational programs.
7. Cultural Approach
We make important contributions to understanding between different cultures. We foster social dialogue and thus establish conditions for processes of cultural integration and the teaching of cultural competence.
8. Mission
We encourage a reflective analysis of culture and history.