The Archaeological Museum will be open until midnight on Friday (13 March) as part of ‘Long Friday’.

The Archaeological Museum's collection of castings has arrived at its new home in Mecklenbeck. The move was necessary because the old hall on Nienkamp had fallen into disrepair. For the first time, the 28 figures that once adorned the pediments of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia can be displayed side by side in their full length (almost 20 metres) in the new hall. There is no room for them in the museum itself, and the previous storage locations – including the former bicycle cellar of the Fürstenberghaus – were also too small.

A total of around 450 casts of ancient sculptures are on display in the hall. The sculptures are complemented by a collection of models with around 25 exhibits, including a model of the entire sanctuary of Olympia. The cast collection is used for research and study. Courses for students are regularly held here. There are plans to open the collection to the general public on selected dates.

The year 31 BC is considered a year of change. The numerous civil wars that the population of the Roman Republic had endured for decades officially came to an end under the rule of Gaius Octavius, Caesar's adopted son. Octavius, who soon received the honorary name Augustus, became the first emperor of Rome and assumed sole rule over the entire Roman Empire. This change led to the end of the previous elitist and popular authority and thus the era of the Roman Republic. 

The art of portraiture during the reign of Augustus also marked a sharp break with the traditions and norms of the Republic. Using plaster casts of portrait busts and statues in the basement of the Archaeological Museum, Nick Winkelmann traces the history of the declining Republic in the March edition of ‘Theme of the Month’ and explains how Emperor Augustus was portrayed in his portraits as emperor. The Sunday tours take place on 8 and 15 March at 2.15 p.m. in the Archaeological Museum, Domplatz 20-22. Admission is free and registration is not required.

Due to its great and lasting success, the Archaeological Museum is extending the special exhibition “Sicily – Island of Arethusa” by one month until March 27, 2026. Over the past four months, around 5,300 people have visited the exhibition, which showcases the museum's rich collection of Sicilian coins. The multimedia exhibition concept, which incorporates not only coins but also casts and originals from sculpture, architecture, and literature, as well as an interactive map, and highlights the interconnection with other forms of art and culture, contributed to a new visitor record last year. In 2025, a total of almost 18,000 people visited the museum in the heart of the old town.

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