German Leather Museum, Leather museum in Offenbach am Main, Germany
The German Leather Museum is a museum in Offenbach am Main devoted to leather and its uses through the ages. It holds around 30,000 items including shoes, saddles, furniture, toys, and ethnographic objects gathered from multiple continents.
The museum was founded in 1917 by architect Hugo Eberhardt to train young craftspeople and designers in leather arts. It later opened to the public and grew into a major institution for studying leather and its cultural importance.
The collection shows leatherwork from many cultures across the world. Visitors can see Egyptian vessels, Japanese armor, African shields, and gilded leather wallpaper from noble houses that demonstrate how valued and varied this material has been everywhere.
The museum is located on Frankfurter Strasse and welcomes visitors Tuesday through Sunday with full wheelchair access throughout the building. You can move through the collection at your own pace and explore the different sections at leisure.
The shoe section holds thousands of pairs ranging from Roman boots to contemporary footwear designs. This extensive range reveals how everyday fashion, craftsmanship, and daily life evolved over many centuries.
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