Übersee-Museum Bremen
Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public-law foundation museum founded in 1896 in Bremen, Germany, presenting 1.2 million natural history and ethnographic objects across permanent and special exhibitions, serving the general public, schools, researchers, and corporate event clients through admissions, memberships, and venue rental.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1896
- HeadquartersBremen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Übersee-Museum Bremen does
Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public-law cultural foundation (Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts) founded in 1896 and supervised by the Senator für Kultur of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It operates a single-site museum at Bahnhofsplatz 13, Bremen, presenting approximately 1.2 million natural history and ethnographic objects from Asia, Africa, America, and the Pacific across seven permanent exhibitions (including the 2025-launched, German Design Award-winning 'Der blaue Kontinent – Inseln im Pazifik') and a programmed calendar of special exhibitions. Its core product portfolio combines on-site exhibition visits, educational programs for schools and families, event venue rental, and visitor services (Restaurant Café Übersee, museum shop, library), with an increasingly significant digital layer comprising the Blue Continent online platform, virtual experiences (Interactive Reef, digital rallies, online mediaguide), the Dina consortium natural history database, and a Linked Open Data / CC BY-SA 4.0 open data publishing program for digitized collections.
The institution generates revenue through five streams: ticket admissions (general, special exhibitions, workshops, annual pass), recurring memberships via the Friends of the Übersee-Museum association (€25–€2,000 tiers), event venue rental (DIORAMA, Forum, Foyer), object sponsorship programs (€50–€10,000), and on-site retail/restaurant. The majority of operating capital is drawn from public-sector funding (Bremen state, federal grants from the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, Kulturstiftung des Bundes project grants, and Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste provenance research funding). Customer segments span individual visitors and families, schools and educational groups, museum members and supporters, corporate and private event clients, and researchers/academics accessing digitized collections.
Operationally, the museum runs a 24-person core staff supplemented by named project leads across provenance research, natural sciences, digital strategy, Oceania Digital, and the NEO Collections program, and is led by Director Prof. Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt and Managing Director Gabriele Müller. It maintains a strategic partnership network including the National University of Samoa (Oceania Digital), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg and Nationalmuseum Stockholm (NEO Collections), and a Digital Advisory Council, with an explicit institutional commitment to provenance research, repatriation, and decolonization as evidenced by completed returns of human remains to Hawai'i and New Zealand and ongoing New Ireland, Benin, and Ewe (Legba Dzoka) investigations.
Übersee-Museum Bremen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Übersee-Museum Bremen
- Legal name
- Übersee-Museum Bremen, Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts
- Website
- https://uebersee-museum.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1896
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public-law foundation museum founded in 1896 in Bremen, Germany, presenting 1.2 million natural history and ethnographic objects across permanent and special exhibitions, serving the general public, schools, researchers, and corporate event clients through admissions, memberships, and venue rental.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Übersee-Museum Bremen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Museum Services
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- History Museums (THAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Übersee-Museum Bremen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bremen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Übersee-Museum Bremen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Admission Fees: The museum generates revenue through ticket sales for general museum admission to permanent and special exhibitions. Tickets are available through online booking systems (Ticketfritz) and at the museum box office.
- Membership and Friends Programs: Annual membership fees from the Friends of the Übersee-Museum e.V. supporting organization, including single, family, and corporate memberships ranging from €25 to €2,000 annually.
- Sponsorship and Donations: Sponsorship programs for individual museum objects and exhibits, with sponsorship amounts ranging from €50 to €10,000, as well as general donation programs for restoration and maintenance of collections.
- Event Venue Rental: Rental of museum spaces including DIORAMA, Forum, foyer, and exhibition areas for conferences, celebrations, corporate events, lectures, and private functions. Includes supporting programs such as guided tours and catering.
- Retail Operations: Museum shop and restaurant/café services offering merchandise, publications, and food and beverages to visitors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Pass - unlimited museum access |
| Subscription | Annual | Single membership in Friends of the Übersee-Museum |
| Subscription | Annual | Family membership in Friends of the Übersee-Museum |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate membership in Friends of the Übersee-Museum |
| Subscription | Annual | Student/Pupil membership in Friends of the Übersee-Museum |
| Subscription | Annual | Donor membership in Friends of the Übersee-Museum |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Object sponsorship program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop and event tickets |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Room rental for events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Übersee-Museum Bremen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public law foundation museum presenting natural history specimens and ethnographic collections from Asia, Africa, America and the Pacific. It operates permanent exhibitions, rotating special exhibitions, online virtual experiences, educational programs, and event venue rentals. It also conducts provenance research, repatriation initiatives, and digital collection access programs.
Product overview
Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public law foundation museum presenting natural history and ethnographic collections from a global perspective. The museum operates a portfolio of permanent exhibitions (including 'Der blaue Kontinent', Asia, Africa, America, 'Erleben was die Welt bewegt', 'Spurensuche', and 'ÜBERMAXX' visible storage), rotating special exhibitions (such as 'Kult Katze!' and 'Tibati'), and digital online experiences (interactive reef, mediaguide, digital rallies). Visitor services include restaurant, shop, library, and annual membership. The museum also offers event room rental for conferences and celebrations. The museum maintains an online platform 'Der blaue Kontinent' for Pacific regional dialogue.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Der blaue Kontinent – Inseln im Pazifik: Permanent exhibition about Pacific Island cultures, biodiversity, and colonial history, awarded German Design Award Winner 2026
- Tibati – Bremen und zurück
- Oceania Digital
- NEO Collections
- Digitalisierung Naturkundesammlung
Products and services
- Der blaue Kontinent – Inseln im Pazifik (Permanent Exhibition)
- Asien (Permanent Exhibition)
- Afrika (Permanent Exhibition)
- Amerika (Permanent Exhibition)
- Erleben, was die Welt bewegt (Permanent Exhibition)
- Spurensuche – Geschichte eines Museums (Permanent Exhibition)
- ÜBERMAXX Schaumagazin (Permanent Exhibition)
- Kult Katze! (Cult Cat!) Special Exhibition
- Tibati – Bremen und zurück (Cabinet Exhibition)
- Annual Pass (Jahreskarte)
- Friends of the Museum (Freundeskreis)
- Event Rooms Rental
- Der blaue Kontinent Online-Plattform
- Interactive Reef Virtual Experience
- Restaurant Café Übersee
- Museum Shop
Quantifiable outcome
- Digital residency program attracted international creative practitioners to explore collection accessibility in the 21st century
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Übersee-Museum Bremen
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Übersee-Museum Bremen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature5 records
Übersee-Museum Bremen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National University of Samoa (NUS)corePrimary cooperation partner for the Oceania Digital project accompanying the new permanent exhibition 'Der blaue Kontinent'. Collaboration includes digital access development, citizen science projects (Vaisigano River monitoring), staff exchanges, and ongoing dialogue about Pacific collections. The partnership aims to explore new ways of collaborating, learning from one another, and providing digital access to the museum's Oceania collection.
- Dina ConsortiumcoreJoint development of the Dina database system for natural history collections management. The consortium brings together various parties involved with natural history collections to develop an openly usable, modular, and innovative database platform. The museum participates in developing standards for database-based inventory of natural history collections.
- Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe HamburgcoreOne of three partners in the NEO Collections project (alongside Nationalmuseum Stockholm) aimed at finding new ways to work with museum collections – online and on-site. The four-year project funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes explores user-centred, explorative approaches to digital museum collections in the 21st century, including digital residencies and innovative collection exploration methods.
- Nationalmuseum StockholmcoreOne of three partners in the NEO Collections project exploring digital approaches to museum collections. The collaboration focuses on digital curating, prototyping, innovation, and improving access to digital collections across all three institutions.
- Digital Advisory Council MembersminorAdvisory council including Dr. Chantal Eschenfelder (Städel Museum Frankfurt), Dr. Franziska Mucha (Historisches Museum Frankfurt), Nils Pokel (Digital Identities network), Dr. Antje Schmidt (German Maritime Museum), and Björn Schneider (construktiv agency). Provides strategic guidance for digital transformation initiatives.
- Pacific Island Communities and ArtistscoreNetworks of artists, researchers, cultural practitioners, and communities in the Pacific region contributing to The Blue Continent platform and Oceania Digital project. Includes creative practitioners participating in digital residencies, workshops (Weaving A Narrative), and ongoing dialogue about collection interpretation.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Übersee-Museum Bremen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tropenmuseum Amsterdam: Major Dutch ethnographic museum within the National Museum of World Cultures covering world cultures, colonial history, and global topics, comparable in mission but with broader institutional scope.
- Deutsches Historisches Museum: Berlin's national history museum covering German and broader world history with permanent and special exhibitions, overlapping with the Übersee-Museum's history-and-culture remit but at a larger national scale.
- Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Vienna's natural history museum with 30 million objects including significant ethnographic and natural history specimens, providing a comparable Austrian public institution with deep-sea expedition history similar to Übersee-Museum's Gauss Expedition link.
Direct peers
- Ethnologisches Museum Berlin: Part of the Berlin State Museums, one of Europe's largest ethnographic collections with significant provenance research efforts, providing a comparable federally funded peer with global non-European focus.
- MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum – Kulturen und Künste der Welt: Hamburg's ethnographic and world art museum with extensive global collections and active decolonization work, directly comparable in scope, geography, and German public-foundation structure.
- Senckenberg Nature Research Society: Frankfurt-based natural history research society and museum network with extensive specimen collections, deep-sea expedition archives, and digitization programs, directly aligned with the Übersee-Museum's natural history workflow.
- Linden Museum Stuttgart: Stuttgart's state museum of ethnography featuring global cultural collections with active provenance research and international partnerships, closely matching the Übersee-Museum's ethnographic-and-trade-heritage positioning.
- Museum Fünf Kontinente (Five Continents Museum): Munich's ethnographic museum presenting non-European cultures across regions, with similar mission, federal-state funding structure, and permanent regional exhibitions to the Übersee-Museum.
- Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum – Cultures of the World: Cologne-based ethnographic museum combining world cultures and regional trade history with a strong provenance research and decolonization profile, directly comparable to the Übersee-Museum's natural history and ethnography blend.
Regional players
- Museum Natur und Umwelt: Bremen-based natural history and environment museum with overlapping regional audience and educational programming, focused on local natural history rather than global ethnography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Übersee-Museum Bremen social profiles
Digital presenceÜbersee-Museum Bremen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Übersee-Museum Bremen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Übersee-Museum Bremen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Übersee-Museum Bremen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Übersee-Museum Bremen
What does Übersee-Museum Bremen do?
The Übersee-Museum Bremen is a public law foundation museum presenting natural history specimens and ethnographic collections from Asia, Africa, America and the Pacific. It operates permanent exhibitions, rotating special exhibitions, online virtual experiences, educational programs, and event venue rentals. It also conducts provenance research, repatriation initiatives, and digital collection access programs.
Is Übersee-Museum Bremen a public or private company?
Übersee-Museum Bremen is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Übersee-Museum Bremen founded?
Übersee-Museum Bremen was founded in 1896. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Übersee-Museum Bremen based?
Übersee-Museum Bremen is headquartered in Bremen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Übersee-Museum Bremen make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Admission Fees are the primary driver. The others are membership and Friends Programs, sponsorship and Donations, event Venue Rental and retail Operations.
Who are Übersee-Museum Bremen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Deutsches Historisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum Wien. Direct peers are Ethnologisches Museum Berlin, MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum – Kulturen und Künste der Welt, Senckenberg Nature Research Society, Linden Museum Stuttgart, Museum Fünf Kontinente (Five Continents Museum) and Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum – Cultures of the World. Museum Natur und Umwelt is listed as a regional player.
Does Übersee-Museum Bremen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Übersee-Museum Bremen.
What industry is Übersee-Museum Bremen in?
Übersee-Museum Bremen's product category is Cultural Museum Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAC, Natural History Museums, with a secondary code of THAJADAB, History Museums. Its NAICS code is 712110.