Ski Museum Directory

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

The Ski Museums of the World guidebook is organized alphabetically first by country, and then by city/town. (For example, within the United States, you will find the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame listed under Ishpeming, rather than Michigan.) Within each nation’s listing, the dedicated ski museums appear in the first section, followed by other museums, collections and libraries that contain ski-history material. Museums or collections that are in storage, or have recently closed, are listed at the end of the guide.

Click here to read an overview of this guide by author and ski historian E. John B. Allen

Publication of this guidebook was partially supported by a generous grant from the Marc Hodler Foundation in Switzerland.

France
Nice, Alpes-Maritime

Musée National du Sport

Address:
Nice, Alpes-Maritime 6203
France
Contact:
Email: contact@museedusport.fr
Telephone: (33) 4892 24400
Website: www.allianz-riviera.fr/fr/le-musee-national-du-sport

Moved from Paris in 2014.
Germany
Kempten, Bavaria

Alpinmuseum

Address:
Kempten, Bavaria 87439
Germany
Contact: Christine Müller Horn
Email: museen@kempten.de
Telephone: (49) 831 2525 740
Website: www.kempten.de/alpin-museum.html

History of the Alps, Alpinism and Skiing. Paulcke, Zdarsky, Bilgeri featured. Good library.
Planegg, Bavaria

Deutsches Skimuseum

Address:
Planegg, Bavaria 82152
Germany
Contact: Gerd Falkner
Email: gerd.falkner@deutscherskiverband.de/ueber.de
Telephone: (49) 898 5790 211
Website: www.deutscherskiverband.de/ueber_uns_skimuseum_uebersicht_de,348.html

Excellent displays, good library but no longer holds the Luther Archive (now at Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln.
Köln, North Rhine Westphalia

Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum

Address:
Köln, North Rhine Westphalia 50678
Germany
Contact: Jennifer Guthof
Email: info@sportmuseum.de
Telephone: (49) 221 33609-0
Website: www.sportmuseum.de

Concentrates on 1936-1972 Olympic Games. Comparatively little on skiing.
Köln, North Rhine Westphalia

German Sports University

Address:
Köln, North Rhine Westphalia 50933
Germany
Contact: Stefan Wassong
Email: sporthistory@dsha-koeln.de
Telephone: (49) 221 4982 3740
Website: www.dshs-koeln.de

Best library for ski materials in Germany. Now holds the Luther Archive.
Braunlage, Lower Saxony

Heimat-und Skimuseum

Address:
Braunlage, Lower Saxony 38700
Germany
Contact: Jürgen Schütz
Email: mail@museum-braunlage.de
Telephone: (49) 5520 1646
Website: www.museum-braunlage.de

Braunlage in late 19th century.
Leipzig, Saxony

Leipzig Sportmuseum

Address:
Leipzig, Saxony 4105
Germany
Contact: Gerlinde Rohr
Email: sportmuseum.leipzig@t-online.de
Telephone: (49) 341 98051 12
Website: www.leipzig-online-de/sportmuseum-leipzig.html

Large general collection with some ski material.
Hannover, Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony Institute for Sport History

Address:
Hannover, Lower Saxony 30169
Germany
Contact:
Email: info@nish.de
Telephone: (49) 511 1268 5060
Website: www.nish.de

Documents relating mostly to Lower Saxony including the Harz.
Schliersee, Bavaria

Marcus Wasmeier Bauernhof-Und Wintersportmuseum

Address:
Schliersee, Bavaria 83727
Germany
Contact: Marcus Wasmeier
Email: eventagentur@wasmeier.de
Telephone: (49) 8026 929220
Website: www.wasmeier.de

Large open-air museum of which ski section is one part.
Peiting, Bavaria

Museum Im Kloesterle

Address:
Peiting, Bavaria 86971
Germany
Contact:
Email: kloesterle-museu@gmx.de
Telephone: (49) 8861 59961
Website: www.peiting.de/tourismus/kultur/peiting/museum-im-kloesterle

Skiing is one section of the museum.
Oberwiesenthal, Saxony

Oberwiesenthal Ski Museum

Address:
Oberwiesenthal, Saxony 9484
Germany
Contact: Brigitte Roscher
Email: info@oberwiesenthal.de
Telephone: (49) 373 487 521
Website: www.oberwiesenthal.com/urlaubsziel/sehenswertes/skimuseum.htm
Hinterzarten, Baden-Württemberg

Schwartzwälder Skimuseum

Address:
Hinterzarten, Baden-Württemberg 79856
Germany
Contact: Alfred Faller
Email: info@schwartzwaelder-skimuseum.de
Telephone: (49) 7652 982 192
Website: www.schwarzwaelder-skimuseum.de

Exhibits on Black Forest, Georg Thoma and Sepp Allgeier.
Augsburg, Bavaria

Ski Museum Augsburg

Address:
Augsburg, Bavaria 86153
Germany
Contact:
Email: kundenservice@foerg.de
Telephone: (49) (0) 821 806 210
Website: www.foerg.de/outlet

Holds material from abroad, c. 400 skis, bindings and boots.
Bernau im Schwartzwald, Baden-Württemberg

Ski-Köpfer-Museum

Address:
Bernau im Schwartzwald, Baden-Württemberg 79872
Germany
Contact: Walter Strohmeier
Email: info@ski-koepfer.de
Telephone: (49) 7675 1600 25
Website: www.ski-koepfer.de

A digitized museum with texts.
Reit im Winkl, Bavaria

Skimuseum Alfons Dorner

Address:
Reit im Winkl, Bavaria Germany
Contact: Franz Höflinger
Email: via website
Telephone: (49) 8640 800 200
Website: www.reitimwinkl.de/winterurlaub/skimuseum

Excellent displays from c. 1880s on.
Nesselwang, Bavaria

Skimuseum Nesselwang

Address:
Nesselwang, Bavaria 87484
Germany
Contact: Tourist Office
Email: info@nesselwang.de
Telephone: (49) 8361 9230 40
Website: www.nesselwang.de/museen-in-nesselwang.html

Skiing in Allgäu
Oberhof, Thüringia

Thüringer Wintersport-Ausstellung

Address:
Oberhof, Thüringia 98559
Germany
Contact: Jan Knapp
Email:
Telephone: (49) 36842 522 37
Website: www.oberhof.de

Many artifacts, documents.
Winterberg, North Rhine Westphalia

Wintersport Museum Neuastenberg

Address:
Winterberg, North Rhine Westphalia 59955
Germany
Contact:
Email: info@skimuseum-winterberg.de
Telephone: (49) 2981 2636
Website: www.skimuseum-winterberg.de
Italy
Torino, Piedmont

Italian Alpine Club, Turin Section

Address:
Torino, Piedmont Italy
Contact:
Email: segretaria@caitorino.it
Telephone: (39) 11 54 6031
Website: www.caitorino.it

Although a mountaineering society, the library has interesting ski material.
Montebelluna, Treviso

Museum of the Boot

Address:
Montebelluna, Treviso 31044
Italy
Contact:
Email: info@museoscarpone.it
Telephone: (39) 423 303282
Website: www.museoscarpone.it

Largest collection of ski boots (among others) including, for example, those of Alberto Tomba.
Temù, Brescia

Museum of the White War

Address:
Temù, Brescia 25050
Italy
Contact:
Email: info@museoguerrabianca.it
Telephone: (39) 334 648 7127
Website: www.museoguerrabianca.it

Ski material of World War I mountain warfare.
Torino, Piedmont

National Museum of the Mountain 'Duke of the Abruzzi'

Address:
Torino, Piedmont 10131
Italy
Contact: Aldo Audisio
Email: post@museomontagna.org
Telephone: (39) 116604 104
Website: www.museuomontagna.org

Although this is a mountaineering museum, there is much on skiing here, film is specialty.
Japan
Shimotakai-gun, Nagano

Japanese Ski Museum

Address:
Shimotakai-gun, Nagano Japan
Contact:
Email: info@nozawaski.com
Telephone: (81) 26985 3418
Website: www.nozawaski.com/summer/skihakubutsukan.php

Displays European background and then development of skiing in Japan.
Sapporo, Hokkaido

Sapporo Olympic Museum

Address:
Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan
Contact: Masashi Abe
Email:
Telephone: (81) 11 641 8585
Website: www.sapporo-olympiamuseum.jp

Many displays, especially of Olympics. Prince Takamatsu and Dr. Seishichi Ohno ski collections.
Liechtenstein
Renkwiller, Eschen

Geissmann Collection

Address:
Renkwiller, Eschen Liechtenstein
Contact: Rainer Geissmann
Email: geissmann.rainer@adon.li
Telephone: ()
Website:

Private collection of Swiss Schwendener skis. Essential to e-mail for appointment.

About the Author

E. John B. Allen
E. John B. Allen

E. John B. Allen is an emeritus professor of history at Plymouth State University and the historian for the New England Ski Museum, both located in New Hampshire, USA. Allen has had an interest in ski history since 1976. He’s an active member of the editorial review board for Skiing History, the bimonthly journal of the nonprofit International Skiing History Association (ISHA), helping to vet all articles for historical accuracy prior to publication. In writing his ten books on skiing, he has traveled to many of the museums listed in this guide. His leading books include From Skisport to Skiing: 100 Years of an American Sport (1993), The Culture and Sport of Skiing from Antiquity to World War II (2008), and FIS: 100 Years of International Skiing (2010), coauthored with Egon Theiner. He’s also the junior partner in a 2019 translation by William Frank of a Russian ski book by K.B.E.E. Eimelius, Skis in the Art of War. In 2020, his short book on 35 skiing artworks and artists will be published in Vienna.

Allen has edited two books of conference papers, International Ski History Congress Collected Papers (2002) and The Spirit of Skiing (2009). He has also published more than 60 articles and book chapters in regional, national and international journals, and written 13 encyclopedia entries. He has consulted on ten films, including Legends of American Skiing, which has appeared on the the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) from time to time since the early 1980s. He is a frequent lecturer in the United States and Europe and has been keynote speaker at academic conferences in Norway, France, Finland and in Austria, and a seminar leader in Switzerland in 2018. In 2009, he made an eight-lecture tour of Slovenia. He has received the Ullr award from the International Skiing History Association (ISHA) for three of his books and ISHA honored him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Back to Top