In 1838 Vicar Joseph Hemmerlein passed his large art collection on to the City of Bamberg.

In the following century the museum continuously added new objects to the collection.

In 1938 it was moved in the Alte Hofhaltung, near the cathedral of Bamberg.

Beside a large art collection and stone sculptures, there are several handicraft objects, clocks from the 16th–19th centuries and a wide range of coins from numerous different ages.

Furthermore, the Historical Museum Bamberg has a collection of astronomical and mathematical tools, as well as a compilation of nativity scenes exhibited during the Christmas season.