What is this place

Kirchner Museum Davos is a single-artist museum devoted to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner on Promenade 82 between Davos Dorf and Davos Platz. Opened in 1992 in a building by Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer, it holds the most comprehensive body of his Davos-period works.

Key features

  • Gigon/Guyer architecture 1992 – four glass-clad cubes with white walls, oak parquet and glass ceilings for finely diffused daylight.
  • Daylight Award 2012 – national recognition of the museum’s light concept.
  • Over 1,400 works spanning painting, works on paper, sculpture, textiles, plus most sketchbooks and photographs, from Die Brücke to the Swiss late period.
  • Owned by the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Foundation Davos; a non-profit private museum.
  • Visitor services: public tours Tue and Sun at 16:00; step-free galleries on one level, lift to accessible restroom, easy-language texts.

What to see

  • Core displays of the Davos years – alpine landscapes, portraits, studio scenes.
  • Temporary exhibitions and documentary materials on Kirchner’s life, plus a research library on Expressionism.
  • Glazed foyers framing Kirchner Park and alpine views – integral to the architecture.

History

Kirchner lived and worked in Davos from 1917–1938, creating a major part of his late oeuvre. In 1982 a support association and the foundation began shaping a permanent collection.

The purpose-built museum opened on 4 September 1992, the first major commission by Gigon/Guyer. In 2012 it received the Daylight Award for exemplary daylight use adapted to Davos’s alpine conditions.

Practical information

Location: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Platz, Promenade 82, 7270 Davos Platz.

Getting there: From Davos Dorf take bus 301 or 303 to Kongresszentrum, then ~200 m along the Promenade. From Davos Platz take bus 304 to Sportzentrum, then ~200 m past Kirchner Park.

Access: Galleries on one level; wheelchair available, lift to accessible WC, easy-language texts; assistance dogs welcome. One disabled parking space by the entrance; main car parks are a short walk downhill.

Visiting hours: Typically Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, Mon closed; seasonal adjustments – often 14:00–18:00 in November and 10:00–18:00 from December.

Visit duration: 60–90 minutes; up to 2 hours with a public tour.

Best time: Weekday mornings for quieter rooms; align with Tue/Sun 16:00 public tours.

Notes: Tickets – adults CHF 20, concessions CHF 17, ages 16–18 CHF 5, under-16s free. Public tour CHF 5 on top of admission. Check holiday and seasonal special hours.