The altarpiece
See the Isenheim Altarpiece in the convent chapel.
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Unterlinden Museum, Colmar
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In short
A 13th-century Dominican convent in Colmar, extended by Herzog and de Meuron in 2015, houses Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece and the Unterlinden's art and history collections. Full price is about €14, or €17 with the useful audio guide. Hours are 9 AM to 6 PM, last entry 5:30 PM, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays. About two hours is right.
The Musée Unterlinden in Colmar, Alsace, is home to the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald, one of the major works of German Renaissance painting. It stands on Place Unterlinden in the town centre, in a 13th-century convent of Dominican nuns joined to a 2015 extension by Herzog and de Meuron. It suits art lovers, and anyone visiting Colmar's old town can fit it into a morning.
The museum was set up from 1849 and opened in 1853. The altarpiece was installed in the convent chapel in 1852, and the Gothic cloister remains part of the visit. In 2015 the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron converted the municipal baths of 1906 and added a new brick exhibition building, linked to the convent by an underground gallery. The enlarged museum opened on 12 December 2015 with about 8,000 square metres of public space.
Grünewald painted the altarpiece between 1512 and 1516 for the Antonite monastery at Isenheim, whose monks cared for patients with ergotism, a painful skin disease. Its hinged panels were opened in different combinations through the church year. The Crucifixion, with its tortured body of Christ, is among the most harrowing images in European art; the Resurrection, with Christ rising in a halo of light, is its opposite. The carved shrine at the centre is by Nikolaus of Haguenau. The panels are displayed separately in the chapel so that every side can be seen at once.
Other rooms range from archaeology, including a Gallo-Roman mosaic from Bergheim, to Rhineland art of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, with works by Martin Schongauer, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Hans Holbein the Elder and engravings by Albrecht Dürer. There are Alsatian decorative arts and a Flemish harpsichord of 1624. The new wing shows 20th-century art by Picasso, Léger and Dubuffet, including a tapestry of Picasso's Guernica.
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Musée Unterlinden
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Key information
⛪Building: 13th-century Dominican convent plus 2015 extension by Herzog & de Meuron
🖼️Masterpiece: The Isenheim Altarpiece by Grünewald (1512–1516)
🏛️Collection: Prehistory to 20th-century art
📍Location: Place Unterlinden, central Colmar
💰Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
🕕Time Zone: Central European Time (UTC+1; UTC+2 in summer)
🎧Audio guide: 1 language
Explore the area
Little Venice (Petite Venise) 1 km
Maison des Têtes 200 m
Collégiale Saint-Martin 500 m
Colmar station 1.2 km
Bartholdi Museum 600 m
✦
Plan your visit to Unterlinden Museum, Colmar
Dates, opening hours and how to get there are below. Booking ahead secures your preferred day.
Highlights Include:
Isenheim Altarpiece
- Grünewald's Crucifixion panels
- Carved shrine by Nikolaus of Haguenau
Convent
- Gothic cloister
- Chapel
Modern wing
- Picasso's Guernica tapestry
- 20th-century art
What They Offer
Audio guide
Ticket with audio guide €17
Café
Museum café
Shop
Bookshop
Visit duration
2 hours
Timed entry required No
Old and new
Walk the underground gallery to the modern Ackerhof wing.
Old Colmar
Continue to Little Venice.
Accessibility
Fully accessible with lifts.
Age limits
None.
What to pack
Ticket on your phone, ID for reduced or free entry
What to wear
Comfortable shoes
Not allowed
Touching the works, food and drink in the galleries, flash photography, large bags, selfie sticks
Amenities
Café, bookshop, cloakroom, restrooms
Tips for visiting Unterlinden Museum, Colmar
- Take the audio guide to follow the panels of the Isenheim Altarpiece.
- Remember the museum closes on Tuesdays.
- Arrive at 9:00 to see the chapel before it gets busy.
- Use the Museum-Pass-Musées if you plan several visits in the Upper Rhine region.
- Walk to Little Venice in Colmar's old town after your visit.
Driving
Paid parking around central Colmar.
Public transportation
Colmar station is about 1.2 km away, around 15 minutes on foot; local buses stop at Unterlinden.
Address
The Unterlinden Museum is on Place Unterlinden in Colmar. The Maison des Têtes is about 200 m away, the Collégiale Saint-Martin 500 m, the Bartholdi Museum 600 m and Little Venice about 1 km.
Opening Hours
- Monday09:00-18:00
- TuesdayClosed
- Wednesday09:00-18:00
- Thursday09:00-18:00
- Friday09:00-18:00
- Saturday09:00-18:00
- Sunday09:00-18:00
Last entry: 5:30 PM
Closed on Tuesdays and on 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 25 December; closes at 16:00 on 24 and 31 December.
Hours from the official site.
Special events
Conversation(s), setting medieval masterpieces beside later works, until 7 December 2026. Christmas markets in Colmar from late November.
Best times to visit
The first hour after opening; the chapel can be crowded in summer.
Best days to visit
Weekdays except Tuesday.
Best months to visit
Any time; December for the markets.
Admission tickets
Prices and how to get tickets.
Unterlinden Museum: Entry
Official ticket including the Isenheim Altarpiece.
- All collections
- Isenheim Altarpiece
Ticket prices
About €14 full price, €17 with the audio guide, which helps in following the altarpiece panels (2026); €9 ages 12–17 and students under 30; family €36; free under 12, for visitors with disabilities and Museum-Pass-Musées holders
Visitor policy
Cancellation and prepayment
Tickets are generally non-refundable; check the museum's booking terms.
Children and admission
Under 12s enter free.
Groups
Groups must book in advance with the museum.
Pets
Only assistance dogs are admitted.
Photography
Personal photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection; some temporary exhibitions forbid it.
Bags
Large bags and suitcases must be left in the cloakroom or are refused; bags are checked at the entrance.
Smoking
Not permitted inside the museum.
Accepted payment
At the desk or online by card.
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Travelers are asking
Every Tuesday, and on four public holidays including Armistice Day on 11 November. It does open on Mondays, which helps if you are touring Alsace early in the week.
It is the museum's centrepiece, displayed in the convent chapel.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answers based on the museum's official information.
General
It is a large folding altarpiece painted by Matthias Grünewald between 1512 and 1516 for the Antonite monastery at Isenheim. Its Crucifixion and Resurrection panels are the highlight of the Unterlinden Museum.
The Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron designed it. It opened in December 2015, converting the old municipal baths and adding a brick building linked by an underground gallery.
The carved central shrine is by the sculptor Nikolaus of Haguenau. Grünewald painted the hinged panels around it.
The museum shows a Gallo-Roman mosaic from Bergheim, works by Schongauer, Cranach the Elder and Holbein the Elder, Dürer engravings and modern art including a tapestry of Picasso's Guernica.
Walk about 15 minutes, roughly 1.2 kilometres, or take a local bus to the Unterlinden stop.
Unterlinden Museum, Colmar is in France. The street address and directions are under How to get there on this page.
Comfortable shoes.
Explore the area on this page lists 5 places around Unterlinden Museum, Colmar, among them Little Venice (Petite Venise) and Maison des Têtes.
Booking
A full-price ticket costs about 14 euros in 2026, or about 17 euros with the audio guide. Children under 12 and Museum-Pass-Musées holders enter free.
Yes. Visitors aged 12 to 17 and students under 30 pay 9 euros, and a family ticket costs 36 euros.
Timing & weather
It opens 9:00 to 18:00 every day except Tuesday, with last entry at 17:30. It is also closed on 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 25 December.
Allow about two hours for the convent, the altarpiece, the medieval and Renaissance rooms and the modern wing.
The first hour after the 9:00 opening is the calmest. The chapel gets crowded in summer and during the Christmas markets.
Families & accessibility
Yes, it is fully accessible with lifts. There is a café, a bookshop and a cloakroom.
Getting there
Zurich Airport (ZRH) is the airport for Unterlinden Museum, Colmar, about 113 km away in a straight line.