CHIO Aachen-Museum

Good to know

• Temporarily closedper Google Maps
• Museum
• 2 kmfrom Aachen center
• Official site
• 4.6 / 536 reviews
• Aachen

What Makes It Special

The CHIO Aachen Museum succeeds in something rare for a small sports exhibition: it transports you into the emotional world of equestrian competition. Rather than presenting a dry chronology, it uses the most intimate artefacts of the sport — the actual riding boots of Hans Günter Winkler, one of the most successful show jumpers of all time; the saddle from Nicole Uphoff's legendary dressage horse Rembrandt; the tack that belonged to Halla, Winkler's own famous mount. Each object carries the weight of a moment that made equestrian history.↗↗

The museum also tells the broader story of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ALRV), the club that has organized horse tournaments in Aachen since 1898. What began as a regional show has grown into the World Equestrian Festival, drawing over 350,000 visitors annually across five equestrian disciplines. The exhibition traces this arc through documents, photographs, and a collection of trophies and medals spanning decades of competition.↗↗

Highlights to Look For

Among the most striking exhibits is an original World Championship winners' podium, instantly transporting you to the moment of a champion's crowning. A meticulously hand-crafted scale model of the main stadium in Aachen's Soers district gives you a bird's-eye view of the venue that hosts these events. And there is the battered suitcase of Hans Heinrich Isenbart, who served as the CHIO stadium announcer for an extraordinary 50 years, from 1954 to 2004 — a relic of the voice that greeted generations of Aachen crowds.↗↗

Josef Neckermann's dressage outfit is another personal treasure — the iconic figure who brought dressage to German living rooms in the 1960s and 70s. A marker tells the story of a 2.32-metre-high wall that show jumpers Willibert Mehlkopf and Willi Melliger cleared here in 1985 during the power-jumping event, setting a new world record on this very ground.↗↗

Exploring the Grounds

The museum is not your only connection to CHIO history on site. A self-guided "History Tour" takes you around the broader show grounds with information boards documenting the structural development of the traditional tournament venue in the Aachen Soers. Combined with the indoor exhibition, it offers a satisfying half-day for anyone curious about how a sports complex evolves over a century of hosting world-class events.↗

Visiting Information

Admission is completely free. The museum normally welcomes visitors on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., though it is currently listed as temporarily closed — check ahead before making a special trip. The museum sits within the Allianz Park complex at Albert-Servais-Allee 50, and parking is available on the CHIO grounds. Access is barrier-free, making it suitable for all visitors. During the CHIO tournament itself, opening hours may differ.↗↗↗

The museum suits groups, individual visitors, and families with children of any age. It also serves as a welcome option on a rainy day in Aachen. For the most current status, contact museum@chioaachen.de or call +49 241 9171 105.↗↗

A Living Tradition

The CHIO Aachen Museum has a reach beyond its walls. In 2026, the Centre Charlemagne in Aachen's old town hosts "Tradition – Innovation – Emotion: 100 Jahre CHIO," a photo exhibition developed in cooperation with the museum. It draws on the same archive to tell a century-long story, including how the tournament became a vehicle for international reconciliation in the post-war decades, when the "politics of the green turf" helped reunite nations through sport. The exhibition is free and runs from May 17 to August 23, 2026.↗