The Haifa City Museum was inaugurated in November 2000. The Museum is located in the former Templar school and community center buildings in the German Colony. The Templar community center features temporary exhibitions devoted to the history of Haifa. These exhibitions examine themes such as architecture, urbanism, art and culture - as well as the links between past, present, and future.
The exhibitions presented thus far have focused on a variety of subjects, including: the Haifa port, Christians in the Holy Land and in Haifa, the Hijaz railway and contemporary and historical photographs of Haifa.
Renovation of the exterior of the Templar school building, which is located behind the Templar community center, was completed in 2007. Due to budgetary constraints, work on the building's interior is still being carried out in stages. The Templar school will include the permanent exhibition of the Haifa City Museum. The plan also includes the construction of a new building, which will connect the two buildings. This building will be equipped with an elevator, permanent collection galleries, a lobby, a museum store, a café and an annex.
The Museum's Education Department, which operates alongside the Curatorial Department, develops education programs related to the exhibitions and to the German Colony more generally. The Events Department conducts exhibition-related activities on an ongoing basis, including conferences and performances.