Gewerbemuseum Winterthur

What Gewerbemuseum Winterthur does

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur is a municipal design and applied arts museum located at Kirchplatz 14 in Winterthur, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1874 and opened in 1875, it is among the oldest museum institutions in the Winterthur region. The institution traces its conceptual lineage to the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert Museum) in London, and it has been housed since 1928 in a former girls' school building, operating roughly 1,000 square meters of exhibition space. Its curatorial core is applied arts, design, and material culture, including a permanent Materials Laboratory (Material-Labor, opened 2009) holding approximately 1,000 material samples that supports hands-on exploration of materials by designers, students, and the general public.

The museum operates as a non-commercial public institution owned by the City of Winterthur (Stadt Winterthur). Its core offerings are rotating temporary exhibitions, a permanent Materials Laboratory, and educational/community programming such as the Dinge machen ("making things") events. The audience comprises local and regional visitors, design professionals, school and university groups, and out-of-region cultural tourists. Leadership consists of director Dr. Susanna Kumschick (sole director since 2021) and deputy director Stefan Müller.

The business model is a blended cultural-institution model. The largest single revenue source is the institutional subsidy from Stadt Winterthur, supplemented by additional public funding via the Amt für Kultur and grants from foundations and private sponsors. Earned revenue is generated through multiple streams: paid admissions (CHF 12 regular / CHF 8 reduced), museum memberships in tiered annual structures (CHF 100–150 observed tiering), guided tours, retail at the museum shop, food and beverage at the on-site café, and partnership programming. Distribution is domestic Swiss with international curatorial partnerships (notably MK&G Hamburg, Domaine de Boisbuchet, Burg Giebichenstein, and MUDAC). Pricing positioning is mass-market cultural access rather than premium, consistent with a publicly mandated institution.

Name

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur

Legal name

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur

Website

https://gewerbemuseum.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur is a Swiss municipal design and applied arts museum founded in 1874–1875, owned by the City of Winterthur, serving local, regional, and design-professional audiences through exhibitions, a Materials Laboratory, and educational programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterthur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Ticket sales for temporary exhibitions and Materials Laboratory. Regular admission CHF 12, reduced admission CHF 8, Materials Laboratory separate entry CHF 5/3.
2. Membership Program (Förderverein): Annual membership fees providing free admission to all exhibitions and events, exclusive special events, discounts on catalogues, and half-price posters. Individual CHF 100, couples/families CHF 150, retired CHF 80/120, apprentices CHF 50.
3. Museum Shop: Sale of exhibition posters, postcards, publications, design items, gifts and souvenirs related to current exhibitions.
4. Grand Café du Musée: On-site vegetarian and vegan restaurant operated independently, serving fresh dishes using regional produce. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:00.
5. Educational Programs and Private Tours: Revenue from school workshops, guided tours, and private group events. Private tours CHF 150/hour, CHF 250/hour outside opening hours.
6. Institutional Funding: Support from Stadt Winterthur, Amt für Kultur, and various foundations and sponsors for exhibitions and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur is a public design museum that curates and presents temporary exhibitions, a permanent interactive Materials Laboratory with around 1,000 touchable material samples, and accompanying school programs, guided tours, audio tours, and accessibility services. The museum complements its exhibitions with a museum shop, an on-site vegetarian café, and a paid membership program (Förderverein), and operates as a founding member of the Material-Archiv network linking the physical collection to an online database managed with Swiss educational institutions.

Product overview

The Gewerbemuseum Winterthur is a design museum founded in 1874 presenting innovative exhibitions at the intersection of design, art and society, offering wide-ranging access to the world of materials. Its core offerings consist of temporary exhibitions (Wechselausstellungen) and the permanent Materials Laboratory (Material-Labor), a hybrid exhibition, workspace and research laboratory with approximately 1,000 m² of exhibition space where visitors can explore materials through touch, sound, and smell. The museum complements its exhibitions with school educational programs (Vermittlungsangebote für Schulen), guided tours, and the digital participation platform 'Dinge machen.' Supporting services include a museum shop, the Grand Café du Musée restaurant, the Förderverein membership program, and accessibility services including audio tours. The museum is a founding member of the Material-Archiv association, a network linking its collection to an online database managed with Swiss educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temporary Exhibitions (Wechselausstellungen)

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ years of institutional history and cultural impact since 1874
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule HallecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2026Collaboration for 'Next Relations – Shaping the Future' exhibition (Sep 2026 – Mar 2027). Industrial design students from the university present bold visions of sustainable production and consumption.
• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2025Collaboration for 'Glitter' exhibition (Nov 2025 – May 2026). Original exhibition from MK&G with additions by Gewerbemuseum Winterthur. Curated by Nina Lucia Groß and Julia Meer.
• Domaine de BoisbuchetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2025Collaboration for 'Colours of Architecture' exhibition (Sep 2025 – Mar 2026). Domaine de Boisbuchet, a design institution in southwest France with outstanding collection, library, and international research laboratory, presents architectural colouration perspectives in this joint exhibition.
• Material-Archiv AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Material-Archiv, a network of universities and institutions making knowledge about materials accessible across collections. The digital database is managed in collaboration with Swiss educational institutions.
• Winterthurer MusikfestwochenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration for 'Musik über Mittag' concert series, featuring local and national musicians performing in the museum as relaxed performances.
• Stadt Winterthur / Amt für KulturcoreOthersInstitutional support and funding from Stadt Winterthur. Museum is an institution of the city. Museumspädagogik provides educational programming support.
• Schule+Kultur (Canton Zürich)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchools from Canton Zürich can access museum educational offerings at reduced rates through the Schule+Kultur program.
• Ziegelindustrie SchweizminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition sponsor for 'Bricks Reloaded' (2026), supporting the exhibition exploring brick as building material, design element, and cultural symbol.
• Zürcher ZiegeleienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition sponsor for 'Bricks Reloaded' (2026).
• AGZ ZiegeleienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition sponsor for 'Bricks Reloaded' (2026).
• Keller (Unternehmungen)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition sponsor for 'Bricks Reloaded' (2026).
• Kubrix ZiegeleienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition sponsor for 'Bricks Reloaded' (2026).
• S. Eustachius StiftungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerous supporter of 'Do Stuff! Textile Creations' exhibition (2025).
• Werkstoffarchiv des Sitterwerks St. GallencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-conceiver of 'Before and After Sand' exhibition (Apr-Aug 2025), along with London-based Material Cultures and Emma Rishøj Holm.
• Material Cultures (London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-conceiver of 'Before and After Sand' exhibition (Apr-Aug 2025) exploring sand as the world's second-most exploited resource.
• Denkmalpflege WinterthurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for film screening 'Winterthur und seine Gärten, 1975' as part of 50th anniversary celebration.
• Uhrenmuseum WinterthurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Clock and Watch Collection (now Uhrenmuseum Winterthur) forms an innovative center with the Gewerbemuseum, connecting design, materials and society.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Design Museum London: London's leading contemporary design museum offering temporary exhibitions on design and architecture. Comparable as a specialized design museum with a strong temporary exhibition model and educational programming.
• Museum für Gestaltung Zürich: Zurich's design museum focused on applied arts, design history, and contemporary visual culture. Directly comparable as a Swiss design museum serving similar audiences with rotating exhibitions and educational programming, though located in Zurich rather than Winterthur.
• Vitra Design Museum: Leading European design museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, focused on design, architecture, and materials. Highly comparable in curatorial focus on materials and design, international exhibition partnerships, and educational programming for design professionals and general public.
• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G): Hamburg's museum of applied arts, design, and cultural history. Directly comparable as a design and applied arts museum with international exhibition programming; the Gewerbemuseum is currently partnering with MK&G on the 'Glitter' exhibition.
• Domaine de Boisbuchet: French design institution with outstanding collection, library, and international research laboratory. Currently partnering with Gewerbemuseum on the 'Colours of Architecture' exhibition; comparable as a design-focused cultural institution with international research and exhibition activities.
• Sitterwerk St. Gallen: St. Gallen-based institution combining art, architecture, and a Werkstoffarchiv (materials archive). Directly comparable due to shared focus on materials research and the existing partnership on the 'Before and After Sand' exhibition.

Broad incumbents

• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): London's global museum of art, design, and performance. The Gewerbemuseum was explicitly modeled after the V&A (then South Kensington Museum) in 1874, making it the foundational peer. V&A operates at vastly larger scale but shares the applied arts and design mission.
• Centre Pompidou: Paris's major multidisciplinary art and design museum. Comparable as a globally recognized design and applied arts institution with international exhibition partnerships and educational programming.
• MoMA - Museum of Modern Art: New York's leading modern art museum with a significant design collection and exhibition program. Comparable as a major design-focused cultural institution, though operating at much larger scale with broader art programming.

Regional players

• Kunsthaus Zürich: Zurich's major art museum with significant holdings and temporary exhibitions. Comparable as a major Swiss cultural institution competing for the same regional audience and corporate sponsorship in the Greater Zurich area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeconsent.youtube.com/m?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fchannel%2FUCWYjIzlY7jA5l0M1Q7JwP4w%3Fcbrd%3D1&gl=CH&m=0&pc=yt&cm=2&hl=de&src=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gewerbemuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/gewerbemuseum_winterthur/?hl=de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gewerbemuseum-winterthur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gewerbemuseum Winterthur