Villa Schlikker

Villa Schlikker is a museum in Osnabrück housed in a neo-Renaissance residential building from 1900 that addresses questions of democracy and historical responsibility. The three-story structure features marble finishes and decorative wall elements, while an attached café provides refreshments to visitors.

The building was constructed in 1900 by textile manufacturer Edo Floris Schlikker and later served as Nazi party headquarters before British forces took control after 1945. This complex history mirrors the transformations Germany experienced throughout the 20th century.

The exhibitions here focus on how people make sense of difficult historical moments and ask visitors to think about what responsibility means today. You can see how the building itself became part of this story, turning a private mansion into a place where communities come together to reflect on shared memories.

The museum regularly hosts discussion forums and offers workshops for student groups that help visitors understand the content more deeply. Plan enough time to visit both the exhibitions and the attached café, which provides a pleasant break.

The building was deliberately transformed into a memory museum that focuses on how societies deal with difficult pasts. This reorientation makes it an example of how physical spaces can take on new meanings.