When can the exhibition be seen?

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

How much is the admission?

Regular admission is 5 Euros, reduced 3 Euros. Children and young people up to and including 18 years have free admission.

Where does the exhibition take place?

At the Jena City Museum at Markt 7 in 07743 Jena.

Are there guided tours?

Yes, the City Museum offers curator tours and public guided tours. Different prices may apply for individual formats.

What are the opening hours?

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

Is the museum accessible for people with disabilities?

The museum provides an accessibility page. For specific requirements, it is advisable to contact the museum directly before your visit.

Photography, Memory, and Urban Life: Jena Presents Its Visual History Anew

Name: Everyone taking photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in Jena
Start: 2026-09-10T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-12-30T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Stadtmuseum Jena

How Photography Has Shaped Jena – and Still Does Today

The Jena City Museum invites you to the exhibition Everyone taking photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in Jena for an impressive exploration of the interplay between city history, cultural memory, and the present. From September 4 to December 30, 2026, an art experience unfolds here, bringing together historical amateur photography, private archives, photo clubs, and current social media image practices in a vibrant dialogue.

Photography as a Social Practice

At the center is not just the image, but the question of its cultural use: How is it photographed, collected, shared, and remembered? The exhibition showcases photography as a medium of togetherness, as an archive of everyday life, and as an aesthetic form that changes over generations. Particularly exciting is the look at the photo circles of the GDR and at today's image worlds, where smartphones and social media dictate visual communication.

Between Private Archive and Museum Display Case

Historical images from the collections of the City Museum meet finds from private collections and contributions from photo clubs. This curatorial juxtaposition creates a dense exhibition atmosphere, where materiality, time, and regimes of vision overlap. The photo is not merely read as a document but as a cultural testimony of a city community that tells itself through images.

A Dialogue Between Past and Present

The juxtaposition of analog amateur photography and digital image practices opens up an art-historically relevant perspective on visual cultures. What motifs are repeated? What visual languages disappear? What aesthetics emerge in everyday life? The exhibition addresses these questions not in a didactic manner but with an open, educational approach that connects cultural education and aesthetic experience.

A Visit with Added Value

The Jena City Museum offers a solid insight into local photographic culture and its societal significance with this exhibition. Those who want to understand Jena through its images will find a thoughtful, atmospheric approach that bridges museum education, city history, and visual memory.

Conclusion: This exhibition makes visible how deeply photography is inscribed in the everyday life, identity, and collective memory of a city. A visit is worthwhile for anyone who wants to experience photography not just as an observation but in its cultural context.