Museumsstiftung Post

What Museumsstiftung Post does

Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation (MSPT) is a federally-owned public law foundation (bundesunmittelbare Stiftung öffentlichen Rechts) headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It was established in 1995 as part of the German postal reform and operates three museums in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg, alongside three collection sites in Berlin-Tempelhof, Heusenstamm, and Bonn (Archiv für Philatelie). The foundation's statutory mission is to preserve and present the cultural and technical heritage of the German postal and telecommunications sectors, holding over 11 million objects in its permanent collection.

The foundation operates a digital infrastructure centred on its Onlinesammlung online collection platform, where 237,644 objects are catalogued and 73,932 are publicly accessible. Active technology initiatives include 3D object scanning for digital preservation, virtual exhibitions for remote access, and the SmartPhone25 exhibition covering 25 years of mobile telecommunications history. The foundation is examining AI applications to enhance catalog data quality. Accessibility compliance is maintained against WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, BITV 2.0, and BGG standards. Leadership comprises Anja Schaluschke as Kuratorin/Generaldirektorin and Dr. Annabelle Hornung as Deputy Director.

MSPT's business model is institutional rather than commercial: museums offer free admission, and the foundation is funded through its two corporate trustees (Trägerinnen), Deutsche Post AG and Deutsche Telekom AG, with additional federal coordination via the Bundesbeauftragte für Kultur und Medien (BKM) and curatorial partnerships with Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. No commercial revenue streams, ticket pricing, or monetisation mechanics are disclosed, and revenue figures are not publicly reported. The foundation serves general public visitors, philatelic researchers, telecommunications historians, and accessibility-focused audiences across its physical and digital channels.

Name

Museumsstiftung Post

Legal name

Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation

Website

https://museumsstiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation is a federally-owned German public law foundation operating three postal and telecommunications museums in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg, holding over 11 million objects, funded by Deutsche Post AG and Deutsche Telekom AG, and serving the general public through free admission and an online collection platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Communication history museums
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Digital collection database
• Postal history archives
• Philately archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation operates three physical Museums für Kommunikation (Berlin, Frankfurt, Nürnberg) and maintains a digital museum platform that makes its collection of over 11 million communication and media history objects publicly accessible. Its core offering includes free museum visits, exhibitions, educational programs, and a comprehensive online collection database (237,644 catalogued objects, 73,932 accessible online), alongside specialized digital projects such as 3D-scanned object exhibits, virtual exhibitions, and themed collections on postal, telecommunication, and media history.

Product overview

The Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation operates a three-museum network (Museum für Kommunikation in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg) with over 11 million physical objects across six locations. The foundation's digital portfolio centers on the Onlinesammlung (online collection database with 237,644 objects), the Digitales Museum für Kommunikation (aggregator platform for all digital offerings), and specialized digital projects including the 3D-Objekte Web-App, Briefsammlung, Smartphone25 commemorative project, and multiple virtual exhibitions hosted on Google Arts & Culture. Additional offerings include the Museums-App with Audioguide for in-museum navigation, the Leben X.0 Podcast on digital transformation, and the Expotizer for virtual exhibition access. All digital platforms collectively serve to make the foundation's communication and media history collections accessible globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Museum für Kommunikation (MfK): Brand name for the three museums operated by the foundation in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg.
• Digitales Museum für Kommunikation
• Wellen, Codes und Kabel(salat)
• SmartPhone25
• Leben X.0 Podcast
• Expotizer

Products and services

• Museum für Kommunikation (MfK) — Berlin, Frankfurt, Nürnberg Three physical museums located in Berlin (Leipziger Straße 16), Frankfurt am Main (Schaumainkai 53, Museumsufer), and Nürnberg dedicated to communication and media history, offering free admission, permanent and special exhibitions, guided tours, educational programs, and events for the general public.
• Onlinesammlung (Online Collection Database) Free digital object database with 237,644 catalogued items and 73,932 objects accessible online, searchable through detailed search functionality. Serves researchers, scholars, and the general public for cultural heritage research.
• Digitales Museum für Kommunikation Central digital museum platform aggregating all digital applications, virtual exhibitions, and online collections for location-independent access to the foundation's communication and media history holdings.
• 3D-Objekte Web-App Web application presenting nine highlights of communication history as 3D scans with information available in German, English, and Easy Language, developed within the museum4punkt0 project in partnership with Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
• Briefsammlung (Letter Collection) Online searchable database of approximately 3,000 historical documents including letters from prisoners of war and other postal communications, serving historical and genealogical researchers.
• Paul Nipkow Nachlass (Digital Estate) Digitized estate of television pioneer Paul Nipkow, accessible online for researchers and the public interested in early television technology history.
• Historische Telefonbücher (Historical Telephone Directories) Online database of Berlin telephone directories from 1881 to 1902, providing historical research access to early telecommunications subscriber records.
• Virtuelle Ausstellungen (Virtual Exhibitions) Virtual exhibitions hosted on Google Arts & Culture covering topics including WWII encryption ('Streng geheim! Verschlüsselung im zweiten Weltkrieg'), disability history ('Barrierefreies Telefonieren'), radio pioneers ('Musik aus dem Äther'), telephone operators ('Die Telefonistin'), and the invention of the telephone ('Das Pferd frisst keinen Gurkensalat').
• Smartphone25 Commemorative project celebrating the 25th anniversary of the smartphone (2021), featuring collection items, personal stories, Smart Storys, digital daily life documentation, and participatory exhibition elements documenting smartphone history.
• Museums-App mit Audioguide Mobile application with audio guide functionality, Actionbound Rallye, and Robot Rallye gamification experiences for in-venue engagement at the three Museums für Kommunikation, developed for MfK Berlin and extended across locations.
• Leben X.0 Podcast Podcast series explaining digital transformation ('Der Erklärpodcast zum Digitalen Wandel') published on multiple podcast platforms, covering digital culture and technological change topics for general audiences.
• Expotizer Digital companion platform for current and past exhibitions, enabling sustainable and location-independent engagement with exhibition topics through digital follow-up content.
• Sammlungen (Collections) and Collection Sites Over 11 million objects across six locations including three collection sites (Berlin-Tempelhof, Heusenstamm near Frankfurt, Archiv für Philatelie in Bonn) with archives dating from 1650, photo archive, film archive, and specialized collections in telegraphy, telephony, radio, television, digital technologies, logistics, philately, and toys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73,932 objects available online; 2,813 objects on display in physical museums
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Staatliche Museen Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the museum4punkt0 project 'De-Coding Culture Extended. Digitale Kompetenzen in kulturellen Räumen'. The Museumsstiftung further developed the 'display' web-app originally created by Staatliche Museen zu Berlin for 3D object visualization. This is a cross-institutional digital heritage collaboration funded by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutsches Museum: Germany's largest science and technology museum, headquartered in Munich with collections spanning natural sciences to communication technology. Directly comparable as a major German specialty museum focused on technology and media history.
• Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum: Germany's largest computer museum located in Paderborn, focused on the history of information technology and digital communication. Closely comparable as a German specialty museum dedicated to communication and computing heritage.
• Phaeno: Interactive science centre in Wolfsburg designed by Zaha Hadid, focused on technology and natural phenomena with strong hands-on exhibits. Comparable as a German specialty science/technology museum with significant digital and interactive programming.

Regional players

• Museum für Kommunikation Bern: Swiss museum dedicated to the history of communication, operated by the Swiss Museum of Communications foundation. Comparable as a direct thematic peer on communication history, but serving a DACH-region audience outside Germany.
• Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation): Tokyo's national museum for emerging science and innovation, operated with Japanese government backing. Comparable as a publicly-funded specialty science museum with strong emphasis on cutting-edge technology and digital engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Science Museum (London): London-based group of science museums covering technology, engineering, and medicine, including significant communications history holdings. Comparable as a large, established science/technology museum with strong digital collection initiatives.
• Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: Berlin's network of 17 public museums spanning art, archaeology, and cultural heritage. Comparable as a major publicly-funded German museum group and active museum4punkt0 collaboration partner on the 3D object web app.
• The Tech Interactive: San Jose-based science and technology centre focused on innovation and digital culture. Comparable as a technology-focused museum with strong interactive exhibits and a digital audience development strategy.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: U.S. Smithsonian museum covering social, political, cultural, and technological history including communications. Comparable as a large national museum with communication and media technology collections and major digital programs.

Others

• Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek: Germany's national digital portal aggregating cultural and scientific heritage from thousands of German institutions. Comparable as a thematic partner/enabler in digital cultural heritage, providing a discovery layer for the foundation's online collection.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1NuwaEeJLjnrJZTQUmhGWw
• Facebookfacebook.com/museum4punkt0
• Instagraminstagram.com/museum4punkt0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museumsstiftung-post

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Museumsstiftung Post