Panoptikum
Panoptikum
4
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Likeness is no coincidence.these are works of art.Whether glamorous, stunningly beautiful or scary,meticulous attention to detail is evident in every figure.Lifelike, at close quarters. Historical figures, artistsand politicians, celebrities and megastars. Athletesand popular contemporaries.Hamburg’s PANOPTIKUM looks back on over 130years of history. It is the oldest waxworks in Germany.A family business in which tradition is upheld withdevotion and care. In keeping with our slogan: Greatentertainment for young and old alike.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: St. Pauli
How to get there
- St. Pauli • 4 min walk
- Landungsbrücken • 6 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
431 reviews
Excellent
153
Very good
138
Average
98
Poor
20
Terrible
22
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Bea K
Hage, Germany51 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
We were in Hamburg on February 13th, 2024 and absolutely had to go there. Since we were near the Reeperbahn, it was only a stone's throw away. The reception from the friendly employee who sold us the tickets was nice. The staff inside was also helpful!
Written February 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GAage
Viby J, Denmark6,373 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Panoptikum is based on a German visit. Many figures relate to German celebrities, but unknown outside of Germany. Then there are a large number of well-known international personalities, where the figures are of varying quality,
Written August 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks!
Written August 16, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
paulina_lip
Irvine, CA102 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
This museum has some pretty good wax figures, some not so good because they were made a long time ago. Some do not resemble the originals at all. Overall, OK experience but nothing too special. As a tourist from the USA, however, I was appalled to see a wax figure of Trump front and center at this museum. It is almost as if he is the centerpiece of the museum. His figure is shown with both thumbs “up”. This was almost vomit-inducing. We Americans think the whole world hates him as much as we do, that’s why we were hoping to avoid him on this lovely vacation. I don’t agree with the museum’s choice to put him there at all, much less in such a prominent place. And Angela Merkel was not there because her wax figure is being re-done or something like that. So — no Merkel, but Trump??? No, Thanks!
Written June 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear paulina_lip,
Thank you for your visit and your review here on tripadvisor.
We appreciate that you mentioned in your review the good quality of our waxworks. You're right that we show in our exhibition also some waxworks which are not as good as others in our exhibition. In the 1960s and 1970s we had sculptors who produced wax figures which don't fulfil our today’s' quality standards. Due to this reason we replace this waxwork gradually by new ones with a high quality and likeliness.
Thank you for your remark regarding Donald Trump and Angela Merkel: You're right, the waxworks of Angela Merkel was not on display for a few weeks during Summer 2018. This was necessary, because our sculptors produced a new head and hands and changed the posture of the chancellor. Therefore, we were not able to show Angela Merkel, for which we would like to apologise. Since the beginning of this year we have a waxwork of Donald Trump in our exhibition. We discussed several weeks, if we want to display such a disputatious personality but decided finally, that Donald Trump is an important politician of the current time and that he fits therefore into our exhibition, even if we personally don't approve his political agenda. However, we hide our personal opinion regarding the celebrities we display in our exhibition and just decide based on their awareness level. You're right, it was unfavourable and imprudent to present Donald Trump without Angela Merkel as a opposite pole. We would like to apologize for this arrangement.
Thank you again for your visit and the time you made to write this review!
Kind regards,
Susanne from the Panoptikum
Written September 12, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stefan255
London4 contributions
Dec 2012 • Friends
Don't go, the dolls are ugly and in no sense life-like. it's a waste of money and outdated as well! Go to madame tussauds in Berlin instead! still not worth the money, but at least high quality wax preparations.
Written March 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicola T
Warrington, UK152 contributions
Dec 2018 • Friends
This museum is quite small but quite brilliant. It is very reasonable priced at €6 and for that you also get a free audio guide which came in handy to explain some of the lesser known figures. It has quite a range of wax figures, ranging in quality (possibly due to the ranging age of the sculptures). Overall though they are great. Figures from history mixed in with figures from popular culture. I highly recommend a visit.
Written December 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Nicola T,
Thank you for your visit and your review. We are happy, that you enjoyed your visit at our museum.  We highly appreciate that you mentioned in your review the good value for money and that you enjoyed the usage of the audioguide, which we offer free of charge. We hope to be able to welcome you again during your next stay in Hamburg. Thank you again for your visit and the time you made to write this review! Kind Regards, Susanne from the Panoptikum
Written June 5, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fireysway
Birmingham, UK38 contributions
Aug 2012 • Friends
I left with mixed feelings about this visit. We were certainly not greeted by the elderly cashier lady who had to finish her sandwich and put on her glasses before she served us. When I spoke German to her and gave her the money and Hamburg card (only gets you one euro off), she got herself confused and proceeded to speak in complicated German when it was completely obvious that I didn't understand. When we eventually got in, we were 'greeted' by a nice man and another grumpy picky old woman who couldn't speak english or speak slow enough for me to understand her German. The exhibition itself was ok - but don't compare it to Madame Tussards as it is a smaller version but good if you know your famous German characters! I appreciate the skill it takes to make a wax model but it would be much better if they weren't behind ropes and some comedy photographs could be taken!! It is worth a visit but don't have too high expectations and the staff need to work on their customer service skills!
Written August 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fdsafds
Istanbul, Turkey133 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
I was a bit skeptical before we entered since I had been to Madame Tussaud's museums both in Amsterdam and London before, and I wasn't really expecting much from such a "tiny" more or less German wax museum. We didn't actually even plan to go there in the first place, but since we were so disappointed by the Reeperbahn itself and just saw the Panoptikum sign on the roadside, we thought we might as well just go in.
We got in for 5 Euros because of a student discount, and we were surprised that taking photos (even with a flashlight) are allowed without restrictions, and you do not even have to purchase a photography permit. There are many politicians and celebrities from the 2000s, but they also retained the old parts of the wax museum, the part it started out as: Namely a museum for educational purposes that would display widespread diseases from the 19th and 20th century. All of those items are in a separate room though, and you do not have to enter if you don't want to, because the items there are somewhat graphical and explicit. They also still display the figures resembling German politicians (if you can call them politicians at all) modeled in 1939, I guess you know who that might be. It is somewhat creepy to see them smiling at you, but (along with composers like Beethoven and Mozart) it is amazing to see how refined the wax models were even back in the first half of the 19th century.
I would recommend the museum to anybody who takes a trip to Hamburg, and even to those that have been to one or more of Madame Tussaud's museums before.
We got in for 5 Euros because of a student discount, and we were surprised that taking photos (even with a flashlight) are allowed without restrictions, and you do not even have to purchase a photography permit. There are many politicians and celebrities from the 2000s, but they also retained the old parts of the wax museum, the part it started out as: Namely a museum for educational purposes that would display widespread diseases from the 19th and 20th century. All of those items are in a separate room though, and you do not have to enter if you don't want to, because the items there are somewhat graphical and explicit. They also still display the figures resembling German politicians (if you can call them politicians at all) modeled in 1939, I guess you know who that might be. It is somewhat creepy to see them smiling at you, but (along with composers like Beethoven and Mozart) it is amazing to see how refined the wax models were even back in the first half of the 19th century.
I would recommend the museum to anybody who takes a trip to Hamburg, and even to those that have been to one or more of Madame Tussaud's museums before.
Written August 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Briana Drach
Hohenfels, Germany35 contributions
This was a fun activity, there were a number of well known historic, American, and yes German figures. Although the museum is small in size there is quite a few interesting pieces. Definitely Recommend if you have some spare time!
Written June 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Mrs_Drachula,
Thank you for your visit and your review here on tripadvisor. We are happy, that you enjoyed your visit at our museum and hope to be able to welcome you again during your next stay in Hamburg.
Thank you again for your visit and the time you made to write this review!
Kind Regards,
Susanne from the Panoptikum
Written August 25, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GraceH123
London, UK35 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We went to the Panoptikum because we were in the area and i'd read about it on some Hamburg guides. I'm actually so happy that we went, it was a little last day highlight of our trip.
The entrance is 6.50 Euro each but with the Hamburg travel card you can get it for 5.20 Euro each which really is a bargain.
The problem with places like Madame Tussauds in London is that you can queue for up to two hours just to get in, it costs you ÂŁ35 pp to enter and then you're elbowing people out of the way to get a picture.
The panoptikum was practically empty when we went (Monday afternoon) and I think this benefited us massively because we could get a picture with whoever we wanted to with ease.
They offer audio guides (for free!!) in English which I advise unless you can speak German as all of the signs are in German to offer a description of the figure. The audio guide was easy to use and had some really interesting information.
The wax figures themselves, well I found them most fascinating when they were from the 1940s-1960s. That's one thing other wax museums have not done, is give light to when the figures were created. This gave an extra layer to the experience because you could compare a figure from 1943 to one made in 2010 and really see the advancement in technology. Saying that, Napoleon, Henry VIII etc were all from the 1940s and were in excellent condition!
I also think, there was a tasteful display of showing Hitler and Joseph Goebells behind a screen which you could only see if you were stood directly in front. Obviously a sensitive subject to have in wax, it was interesting to see that the Panoptikum had handled this situation with decency and decorum.
As an English person, I found it really interesting to learn about German chancellors such as Helmut Schmidt and the founder of the Panoptikum, Friedrich Hermann Faerber, as well as a bunch of German celebrities. I also need to add that the Angela Merkel figure was so life-life, it just looked like she was stood there. Also, not sure if it was on purpose but I enjoyed the 'presidential placement' of Barrack Obama and Donald Trump, I'm sure not intentional, but it made me chuckle, you'll have to go there yourself to see what I mean!
Honestly, if you've got a couple of hours spare if you're in the area, really do give it a visit, the staff are friendly and welcoming and the wax figures are really good. The only suggestion I'd have to them is to maybe invest in a cloakroom as I had a couple of bags with me and a big wet coat from being outside and it would have been great not having to carry them through the three floors. Other than that, a pleasure and if i'm ever in Hamburg again, I would return without hesitation!
The entrance is 6.50 Euro each but with the Hamburg travel card you can get it for 5.20 Euro each which really is a bargain.
The problem with places like Madame Tussauds in London is that you can queue for up to two hours just to get in, it costs you ÂŁ35 pp to enter and then you're elbowing people out of the way to get a picture.
The panoptikum was practically empty when we went (Monday afternoon) and I think this benefited us massively because we could get a picture with whoever we wanted to with ease.
They offer audio guides (for free!!) in English which I advise unless you can speak German as all of the signs are in German to offer a description of the figure. The audio guide was easy to use and had some really interesting information.
The wax figures themselves, well I found them most fascinating when they were from the 1940s-1960s. That's one thing other wax museums have not done, is give light to when the figures were created. This gave an extra layer to the experience because you could compare a figure from 1943 to one made in 2010 and really see the advancement in technology. Saying that, Napoleon, Henry VIII etc were all from the 1940s and were in excellent condition!
I also think, there was a tasteful display of showing Hitler and Joseph Goebells behind a screen which you could only see if you were stood directly in front. Obviously a sensitive subject to have in wax, it was interesting to see that the Panoptikum had handled this situation with decency and decorum.
As an English person, I found it really interesting to learn about German chancellors such as Helmut Schmidt and the founder of the Panoptikum, Friedrich Hermann Faerber, as well as a bunch of German celebrities. I also need to add that the Angela Merkel figure was so life-life, it just looked like she was stood there. Also, not sure if it was on purpose but I enjoyed the 'presidential placement' of Barrack Obama and Donald Trump, I'm sure not intentional, but it made me chuckle, you'll have to go there yourself to see what I mean!
Honestly, if you've got a couple of hours spare if you're in the area, really do give it a visit, the staff are friendly and welcoming and the wax figures are really good. The only suggestion I'd have to them is to maybe invest in a cloakroom as I had a couple of bags with me and a big wet coat from being outside and it would have been great not having to carry them through the three floors. Other than that, a pleasure and if i'm ever in Hamburg again, I would return without hesitation!
Written December 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear GraceH123,
Thank you for your visit and your very detailed and positive review, which was a pleasure to read. Thank you! We are happy, that you enjoyed your visit at our museum. We highly appreciate that you mentioned in your review the good value for money, the good quality of our waxworks and that you enjoyed the usage of the audioguide, which we offer free of charge. The positioning of Donald Trump vis-à -vis Barack Obama was choosen on purpose, also the fact, that Obama is higher placed than Trump and, thus, looks down to him.
Thank you also for your suggestions regarding a cloakroom, which we also would love to have. As space is very, very limited in the Panoptikum, we are not able to install one. However, if you ask our employees, they are more than happy to store your luggage in a small storage room.
We hope to be able to welcome you again during your next stay in Hamburg. Thank you again for your visit and the time you made to write this review! Kind Regards, Susanne from the Panoptikum
Written June 5, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Simonetta8721
Hamburg, Germany42 contributions
Dec 2016 • Friends
This museum is not very big, but big enough to entertain without getting bored.
The quality of the figures is very good.
The quality of the figures is very good.
Written January 5, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Simonetta8721,
Thank you for your visit and your review here on tripadvisor.com. We are happy, that you enjoyed your visit at our museum.
We appreciate that you mentioned in your review the good quality of our waxworks!
Thank you again for your visit and the time you made to write this review!
Kind regards,
Susanne
Written January 11, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yes, we are open on both days:
April 19, 2019: 11am to 9 pm
April 20, 2019: 11am to midnight
We look forward to your visit and wish you a pleasant stay in Hamburg!
Written April 16, 2019
Hallo, nein in Hamburg nicht
Written January 10, 2018
Admission fee:
Adults: 6€
Children up to their 18th birthday: 4€
You can pay by cash or EC-Card, unfortunately we do not accept credit cards
Written April 4, 2016
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