The Museum of Icons in Recklinghausen is the largest collection of Orthodox icons in Germany and in non-Orthodox countries in general. Two enthusiasts, Dr. Heinrich Wendt and Dr. Martin Winkler, took interest to collecting icons in the city. In 1955, the director of Recklinghausen Art Gallery, Thomas Grochowiak, bought 73 icons from their collection. The Museum of Icons was opened to visitors in 1956.
Now the museum includes more than thousands of Orthodox icons from various parts of the world. The iconographic school of Russia is widely represented; there are a lot of images from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania. The Coptic Orthodox icons are the museum’s special pride. The art of Coptic icons is not studied very well. The museum collection includes Coptic icons, even related to the I century Christianity.