The Folkwang Museum is an awesome place with a moving history and some unique art on display…read more Perfect for an autumn day.

(my visit was in September 2015)…read more Oh, I am so conflicted about the museum. I appreciate art, I worked in the arts, and I want it to flourish and be shared with as many people as possible, but the curation was so poor. Let's start with the good: there's no admission charge for the permanent collection. Now to the bad: There are some great, fantastic pieces on exhibition, but the low quality displays are so distracting. Artwork is encased in plastic or glass that is slightly opaque and reflects a glare, so it's incredibly difficult to see the pieces in their full glory. The lighting is inconsistent and absolutely awful in some rooms. The museum benefits from beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows that let in so much light, but then you turn a corner and enter a room with fluorescent lights 40 or 60 ft up on the ceiling, casting shadows that shroud the pieces. At the time I went, there was a special exhibit area showcasing a piece of installation art that was fantastic. The staging in the room was done properly: let the artwork be the focus and configure the room and setting around the art. And don't expect too much from the gift shop. I was hoping to pick up a few postcards or souvenirs to send home but was sadly disappointed with just books and knick-knacks. It's no MoMA or Met.

Very interesting local museum of the Ruhr region housed in an old coal washing complex. There is…read moresomething here to appeal to everyone - panoramic views from the roof of the whole Ruhr valley, thoughtful exhibits highlighting the past and present and captions in both English and German. It's part art exhibit, historical museum, industrial museum and natural history center all together. The best is that the old coal works is largely intact, so you can see all the huge buckets, gears, slides and catwalks. You really get a sense of the industrial past here. I love that the region takes it's heritage seriously and repurposed an old factory as a cultural center. If you are in the Ruhr area doing some sightseeing, it's a nice stop. There's a cafe and many places to have lunch as well as a large park. Very cool!

Absolutely excellent experience. My only regret is not securing more time to see everything. Make…read moresure you arrive early to attempt to see most of the exhibits. There is so much to see.

Great experience and very interesting but too short explanations on items. On the other hand, it's…read more"special Friday" - pay as much as you'd want! The place is built around one of the coal mine structures and is interesting by itself, but is slightly unbalancing for some.