Stones Fan Museum

Lore & Background

The museum opened in May 2011 while still under construction, with fans from several European countries attending. Construction was completed in April 2012. The museum is housed in a former supermarket and has an exhibition area of 1,000 square metres. Schröder received a tourist incentive of 100,000 euros from the district government of Lüchow-Dannenberg.

A delegation from Universal Records came to Lüchow to prevent the name 'The Rolling Stones Museum'. It was agreed to change the name to Rolling-Stones-Fan-Museum, later shortened to Stones Fan Museum. Schröder also placed a portrait of himself at the front of the building to clarify it was a fan initiative, not an official one.

The museum displays part of Schröder's collection, including photos, paintings by various artists (including Ron Wood), posters, documents, musical instruments, golden records, puppets, pinball tables, a signed billiard table, a BMW Isetta, and many other objects. An Irish pub and a podium for bands were also constructed. Tribute bands, Blondie Chaplin, and Chris Jagger have performed there.

Reader's Guide

The Stones Fan Museum represents a unique grassroots tribute to one of rock music's most enduring bands. Its significance lies in its origin as a personal collection of a devoted fan, Ulrich Schröder, who attended all three Rolling Stones concerts in Germany in 1965 at age 15. The museum's establishment in a small German town, with support from local government and despite legal challenges from Universal Records, underscores the tension between corporate branding and fan expression. The museum's collection spans diverse memorabilia, from musical instruments to a signed billiard table, reflecting the breadth of Rolling Stones culture. Controversy over the urinals—designed by Meike van Schijndel as red lips inspired by the band's logo, criticized as sexist—highlights the museum's role in broader cultural debates. The 40-metre mural painted by Heino Jacobsen on garage boxes, inaugurated in July 2012 for the band's 50th anniversary, further cements the museum's place as a community landmark. As a member of the local museum association, it contributes to regional cultural tourism while preserving a fan's perspective on rock history.

Did You Know?

• Founder Ulli Schröder visited all three Rolling Stones concerts in Germany in 1965 when he was 15.
• The museum's urinals, shaped like red lips, were subject to controversy over being sexist.
• A 40-metre mural painted on ten garage boxes in Lüchow was inaugurated in July 2012.