Explore 1,500+ touchable, award-winning design objects in a dramatic UNESCO boiler house—innovation, history, and interaction in one.

Nestled within the UNESCO-listed Zeche Zollverein in Essen—the architectural jewel of a former coal-mining powerhouse—the Red Dot Design Museum is where industrial heritage meets the future of design. Inside the dramatic boiler house redesigned by Sir Norman Foster, product culture comes alive amidst glass, steel, and workshops in motion.

What You Will Experience

• Touch, Try, Engage
  Enjoy the rare thrill of getting hands-on with select exhibits—everything from robots and kettles to coffee machines and cars—encouraged, not just allowed.

• Global Award Winners
  Discover over 1,500 objects honored by the prestigious Red Dot Design Award—an unrivaled show of contemporary innovation spanning five floors.

• Design Fundamentals & Trends
  Get a primer on what makes great design work. Learn via the “Design Fundamentals” displays, then see this year’s standout creations in “Red Dot Milestones” exhibitions.

• Spectacular Industrial Setting
  Wander through the “cathedral of industrial culture”—once a boiler house, now a breathtaking backdrop for design, complete with steely walkways and former stoker stations.

• Smart Souvenirs & Sweet Pause
  Pop into the museum shop for cutting-edge design objects and recharge with local bites, coffee, or cake in the cozy reception area.