A Museum Dedicated to the Art of Magic
Tucked away on Hansaplatz in Hamburg’s vibrant St Georg district, the Zaubermuseum Bellachini is the only museum in Germany devoted entirely to the history of magic. Founded by magician and collector Wittus Witt, it opened its doors in December 2022 and offers a captivating journey through three centuries of illusion. Across roughly 100 square metres, visitors will find over 200 artefacts—ranging from 18th-century magic books and 19th-century posters to historic magic sets, several of which earned Witt entries in the Guinness Book of Records.
Named after Samuel Berlach, known as Bellachini, the most celebrated German magician of the 19th century, the museum showcases how stage magic evolved from early street performances into a refined art form. Multimedia exhibits—including film projections and interactive displays—reveal the tricks, tools and theatrical flair that brought amazement to audiences for generations.
The Collection and Its Origins
Wittus Witt has been collecting and curating magic exhibitions since the late 1970s, collaborating with museums from Munich to The Hague. His personal archive now holds over 4,000 publications, 2,000 magic sets, 1,200 posters and thousands of additional documents—forming a unique cultural record of the illusionist’s craft. Among the highlights once displayed are Goethe’s magic box from the Düsseldorf Goethe Museum, a 15th-century oil painting of a conjurer (the oldest known depiction of a magician), and the travel trunk of Theodor von Schledorn-Bellachini.
Since 2025, the Bellachini Museum has been officially recognised by Hamburg’s Senate for Culture and Media as part of the city’s network of cultural-historical institutions. It continues to host rotating exhibitions exploring the intersection between magic, art and cultural history—inviting visitors to rediscover the imagination and showmanship behind the “art of the impossible.”
For more information visit the official website.
Opening hours:
Thursday – Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday – Wednesday: Closed
Location:
Zaubermuseum Bellachini
Hansaplatz 8
20099 Hamburg
How to get there:
Take the U1, U2 or U3 underground line to Hauptbahnhof Süd or Hauptbahnhof Nord. From the station, it’s only a short walk to Hansaplatz—just behind the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in St Georg.
