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The museums participating in the survey reported a total of 81,372,077 visits in 2022. This is around twice as many as in 2021, but still a good quarter fewer than were recorded before the pandemic in 2019. Of the 7,076 museums contacted, more than half (4,268) reported their visit figures to the Institute for Museum Research. 318 museums (7%) stated that they were not open to visitors in 2022; only 42 of them remained closed all year round in 2022 due to the pandemic.

The current results of the overall statistical survey for 2022 clearly show how differently visitor numbers have developed in the individual federal states. While Saxony-Anhalt's museums only recorded 15 per cent fewer visits than in 2019, the number of visits to museums in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (- 47%) and Saarland (- 43%) was significantly lower than the pre-pandemic level.

4.9 million visits to German exhibition centres: an increase of 150 percent

Exhibition centres, i.e. venues that show exhibitions without having their own collections, have recovered even better from the pandemic crisis. With a total of 4,887,583 visits in 2022, they recorded a particularly strong increase compared to the previous year (+146%) and were thus ten percentage points behind the figure achieved before coronavirus in 2019. Of the 509 institutions contacted, 318 (62.5%) reported their visit figures to the Institute for Museum Research.

Exhibitions are booming again: almost 8,000 in 2022

Both museums and exhibition centres were able to significantly increase their exhibition activities compared to the previous year. Museums reported a total of 6,233 exhibitions for 2022, a quarter more than in the previous year. The 1,614 exhibitions reported by the exhibition centres almost reached the pre-pandemic level.

For the Director of the Institute for Museum Research, Patricia Rahemipour, one thing is certain: "As expected, the impact of the pandemic on the museum sector continued to weaken in 2022. However, a differentiated look reveals major differences. Whether a museum was able to win back its audience in 2022 depends very much on whether it is located in the countryside or in the city, whether it is privately or publicly run and to which content area (art, culture, archaeology, nature or technology) it belongs. The pandemic has further intensified the phenomenon of hyper-individualisation in the museum sector. In the future, even more qualitative studies, for example on the motivation of visitors and non-visitors, but also analyses of the individual external and internal success factors of museums, will be necessary in order to better capture and understand the ever-increasing phenomenological range."

David Vuillaume, Managing Director of the German Museums Association, adds: "2022 was a year of transition for museums. On the one hand, we are seeing a strong recovery in visitor numbers and exhibition activities, while on the other hand, the figures this year are still below the previous record levels. But we are positive, because despite the major challenges posed by the consequences of the pandemic, the energy crisis and inflation, museums and exhibition centres have proven to be creative and resilient. It is now important to promote the resilience of museums efficiently and sustainably in times of multiple crises so that they can continue to offer visitors inspiration, exchange and intellectual recreation as attractive places of education and encounter."

The complete publication of the overall statistical survey will be available for download from spring 2024 at https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/ifmzm/index

Enquiries can be directed to:
Institute for Museum Research
In der Halde 1, 14195 Berlin
Tel. 030/266 4269 01
Mail: ifm@smb.spk-berlin.de