THE PANOPTICON HAMBURG
A magical world between wax and reality
Experience stars up close: the Panoptikum Hamburg
Germany’s oldest wax museum takes visitors into a world full of stars and starlets. In the Panoptikum on the Reeperbahn, you will meet famous personalities from history, politics, culture and show business. Come face to face with Angela Merkel, Otto Waalkes or the Beatles and take a selfie with your idols. Learn more about the fascinating history of this traditional establishment and the art of making wax figures.
A journey through time
The Panoptikum was founded in 1879 by Friedrich Hermann Faerber, making it Germany’s oldest wax museum. For over 140 years, the lifelike figures have been inspiring visitors. The cabinet has always been family-owned and is now managed by Dr Hayo Faerber and his daughter Susanne Faerber. They are passionate about continuing the tradition and ensuring that the Panoptikum is always up to date.
From Bismarck to Taylor Swift: the stars of the panopticon
At Panoptikum, you will meet over 120 wax figures from all areas of public life. In addition to historical figures such as Henry VIII, Albert Einstein and Friedrich von Schiller, numerous stars of the present day are also represented. Singers like Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, athletes like Uwe Seeler – they are all united at Panoptikum. And of course, international greats such as Queen Elizabeth II, Barack Obama and Michael Jackson are not to be missed.
The art of wax figure making
Creating a wax figure is a complex and time-consuming task. First, exact measurements and photos of the person to be portrayed are taken as a template. Then a clay model of the celebrity’s head is created and a hollow mould is cast from it for the wax. The artists use a special wax that is pliable at body temperature and easy to work with. The hair is inserted individually and then styled into the correct hairstyle, and the eyes are made of glass. Incidentally, the teeth come from a dental technician. Finally, the figure is painted and clothed. The whole procedure takes about a year.
More than just figures
The idea of the wax museum arose not least because newspapers in earlier times usually had no pictures. Through the figures, people were able to get an idea of celebrities, but also murderers and fraudsters, for the first time. In addition, however, wax figures were also used to make medical procedures visible. The medical-anatomical cabinet, which can be seen in the Hamburg wax museum, also fits in with this.
Verbindung / Kontakt
- Rote Doppeldecker Haltestelle Nr. 20, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße
- HVV U-Bahn: U3, St. Pauli
- S-Bahn S1 und S3 Reeperbahn
- Anschrift:
Panoptikum
Spielbudenplatz 3
20359 Hamburg - Telefon: +49 40 310 317
- Mail: info@panoptikum.de
- Internet: www.panoptikum.de
- Öffnungszeiten:montags bis sonntags 10 bis 20 Uhr