When is the exhibition running

The exhibition can be seen from September 4 to December 30, 2026, at the Jena City Museum.

How much is the entrance fee

The entrance fee is 5 Euros, reduced 3 Euros.

Where is the exhibition taking place

At the Jena City Museum, Markt 7, 07743 Jena.

What are the opening hours of the museum

The Jena City Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM, closed on Mondays.

What is the exhibition about

At the center is the history of everyday and amateur photography in Jena, from historical photographs through GDR photo circles to today's image practices in social media.

Are there official online information

Yes, the Jena City Museum's website and JenaKultur provide current information about the exhibition and the museum.

Jena Celebrates Everyday Photography: An Exhibition about Memory, Everyday Life, and Visual Culture

Name: Everyone Takes Photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in Jena
Start: 2026-09-09T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-12-30T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Stadtmuseum Jena

Jena Discovers Itself in the Mirror of Photography

The exhibition Everyone Takes Photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in Jena at the Jena City Museum opens a view into a visual culture that has shaped the everyday life of a city for generations. Between historical amateur photographs, archival material, photo circle traditions, and current images from social media, an impressive artistic experience emerges about memory, community, and visible life in Jena.

Photography as Lived Cultural History

The presentation leads from the beginnings of amateur photography through the photo circles of the GDR to the present day digital image practices. This brings not only the single photo into focus but also the social function of photographing: as a medium of self-affirmation, as a means of communication, and as the cultural memory of a city.

Between Archive, Everyday Life, and Present

Particularly appealing is the dialogue between historical images from the collections of the City Museum, private archives and photo clubs, as well as contemporary works by social media photographers. This results in a multifaceted examination of works where documentary perspective and personal touch, technical development, and aesthetic experience reflect one another.

A Museum as a Place of Visual Education

The Jena City Museum understands its collection as a living place of research and cultural education. The exhibition builds on this and makes visible how closely city history, everyday culture, and photography are interconnected. Visitors to the exhibition experience not only images but also a reflected curation that precisely brings together historical and current visual worlds.

For Photography Enthusiasts, City Explorers, and Culture Lovers

The exhibition appeals to everyone interested in photography, local history, and social image cultures. It shows how private moments become collective memory, and how a great cultural historical panorama unfolds in seemingly everyday photographs.

Conclusion: Everyone Takes Photos? is a wise, vivid, and approachable exhibition about photographing as part of our lives. Anyone wanting to see Jena from new perspectives should definitely experience this exhibition in person.