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Discover Museums in Historical Monuments!

Museums are not just places where you can marvel at works of art, historical artefacts or scientific phenomena. They are also often housed in listed buildings that themselves have an eventful history to tell, such as castles, artist's villas or an indoor swimming pools.

Schweinfurt Art Gallery

Above the main entrance to the Kunsthalle, the historical inscription "Ernst Sachs Bad" still refers to the original purpose of the building today
Außenansicht Kunsthalle Schweinfurt © Peter Leutsch
Exhibition room of the Kunsthalle with paintings and sculptures
Neuhängung Kunsthalle Schweinfurt © Peter Leutsch
Exhibition room of the Kunsthalle with paintings and sculptures
Werner Pokorny, Kunsthalle Schweinfurt © Peter Leutsch

Where visitors once took a dive in the water, art is now the refreshment of the day. The building of the Kunsthalle Schweinfurt (Schweinfurt Art Gallery) on Rüfferstraße was originally an indoor swimming pool donated by Schweinfurt industrialist Ernst Sachs in 1933. Nowadays, it exhibits high-calibre art from Germany after 1945.

The building was designed by the architect Roderich Fick in the style of New Objectivity and, with its clear, geometric shape without any superfluous decorations, provides the perfect backdrop for contemporary art. It invites you to contemplate works by artist groups such as CoBrA, SPUR, and more.

Museum Villa Stuck in Munich

Symbolist painter Franz von Stuck (1863 – 1928) designed an unusual home for himself. At 34, he had his abode erected near the right bank of the river Isar. Surrounded by an idyllic garden, the villa combines elements from Byzantium, Oriental fashion, and the Renaissance with the latest developments of the Fin de Siècle.

Today, the Museum Villa Stuck houses not only historical rooms with Stuck's own art but also a changing variety of exhibitions with works from the 19th to 21st century — often experimental and always good for a surprise!

Exterior view of Villa Stuck
© Museum Villa Stuck
Decke des Musikzimmers in der Villastuck, die mit einem Sternenhimmel bemalt ist
A special highlight: the ceiling in the music room © Landesstelle für die nichtstaatlichen Museen, Foto: Sebastian Lehner

German Hat Museum in Lindenberg

The former hat factory building with its characteristic chimney now houses the museum
© Deutsches Hutmuseum. Bild: Richie Müller
Fünf Personen sitzen im Vordergrund einer Installation aus Hüten. Links sitzen zwei Jungs, einer setzt sich gerade einen bunten Hut auf, mittig sitzt eine Frau die dem Jungen dabei hilft den Hut anzuziehen. Vor der Frau sitzen zwei Mädchen mit dem Rücken zum Betrachter und beobachten beide dabei.
© erlebe.bayern - Florian Trykowski
Exhibition of the Deutsches Hutmuseum (German Hat Museum) with historical hats and photographs from the former factory
© Deutsches Hutmuseum. Bild: Daniel Stauch

A 300-year history of hats to feel and try on: The Deutsche Hutmuseum (German Museum of Hats) presents interesting and curious facts about headwear. Situated in the former Ottmar Reich Hat factory, it tells the story of diligent workers, courageous hat dealers, and productive manufacturers who turned Lindenberg into the "Little Paris" of hat fashion.

The architect Philipp Jakob Manz, known for his functional architectural style, designed the striking, four-story building with its brick chimney in 1923. Among other things, the Matelot, an iconic hat from around 1900, was made here more than four million times.

Old Salt Works with Salt Museum in Bad Reichenhall

In the 19th century, it was said that the most beautiful saltworks in the world were in Bad Reichenhall. Whether this is true lies in the eye of the beholder. But it certainly is the only royal one, as King Ludwig I of Bavaria himself had it built. Today, it is definitely one of Bavaria's most important industrial monuments.

Under the Old Salt Works, in the fountain building, the famous Bad Reichenhall brine springs emerge from the fissures in the mountains. With the help of enormous water wheels, the brine was pumped to the surface and then heated up. The water evaporated, and salt remained.

Happy family in front of the old salt works
Exterior view of the old salt works in Bad Reichenhall © Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG | Alte Saline Bad Reichenhall
Two guests interested in knowledge at the Salt Museum
Salt Museum in the Old Salt Works Bad Reichenhall © Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG | Alte Saline Bad Reichenhall
Visitors in the new drainage tunnel
Underground galleries in the old salt works in Bad Reichenhall © Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG | Alte Saline Bad Reichenhall
Visitors in front of the water wheels
Water wheels in the old salt works in Bad Reichenhall © Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG | Alte Saline Bad Reichenhall

Church Fortress Museum in Mönchsondheim

A front of various half-timbered houses with archway and church tower in the background
© Kirchenburgmuseum Mönchsondheim
Herb garden with half-timbered house in the background
© Kirchenburgmuseum Mönchsondheim
A man and a woman push their bicycles past a beer garden, a half-timbered house can be seen in the background
© Kirchenburgmuseum Mönchsondheim
A young woman with a pointer stands at a historical blackboard, with visitors sitting in the foreground
© Kirchenburgmuseum Mönchsondheim

In the heart of a small Franconian village, there is a special kind of outdoor museum: all buildings are fully preserved and in their original locations! Architecture from four different centuries is grouped around a church fortress, including a school, a town hall, an inn, a grocery shop, and a small farm. In the Middle Ages, these fortified churches served as places of refuge for the villagers in the event of an attack. The museum shows what life and work looked like in those days.

After a visit to the museum, you can relax under the old lime trees in the village square with a cool ice cream!

Museum Malerwinkelhaus in Marktbreit

A boudoir and a cabinet of Roman artifacts — what sounds like unusual cohabitation — are two permanent exhibitions under one roof. The "Roman Cabinet" shows the story of the former Roman double legionary camp on the Kapellenberg and the life of the legionnaire. The display "Frauen-Zimmer: Stages of a Life in a Small Franconian Town" provides insights into women's social history between 1850 and 1950. The museum is housed in the 17th-century Malerwinkelhaus, a landmark in the town of Marktbreit. Its half-timbered construction and picturesque location on the river Breitbach make it a pleasure for your eyes.

The Malerwinkelhaus in Marktbreit is a narrow, yellow house with red half-timbering and green shutters. It sits on a wall by the Breitbach stream. On the left of the picture, the gable of the town hall towers above other small half-timbered houses on the other side of the stream. On the gable is a statue of St George, who defeated the dragon.
The Malerwinkelhaus in Marktbreit, exterior view. © Museum Malerwinkelhaus Marktbreit. Foto: Dr. Simone Michel-von Dungern
Cut-outs: Women's underwear from the 1950s and parts of Roman armour: chain mail, track armour and a military belt studded with metal plates and discs. Visitors can touch and try on these pieces of armour and helmets.
What ladies used to wear underneath and Roman legionaries wore on top... © Museum Malerwinkelhaus Marktbreit - Dr. Michel-von Dungern
The picture gives an insight into the museum café with small round tables with marble tops and black bistro chairs. Paintings by various artists hang on the walls, showing the Malerwinkelhaus and the Malerwinkel as a motif.
The museum café in the Malerwinkelhaus. © Museum Malerwinkelhaus Marktbreit - Dr. Simone Michel-von Dungern

Museum of Dingolfing

Exterior view of the Museum Dingolfing (Dingolfing Museum) in the late Gothic building complex
© Christine Daxl

The historically significant building complex of the Dingolfing Museum comprises three buildings. All were erected between 1410 and 1477: the ducal castle, one of the best-preserved late Gothic secular buildings in Lower Bavaria; the Pfleghof, which housed an official building; and the granary, which served as the dukes' stables and storehouse.

The museum illustrates the history of the town and shows Dingolfing's industry – from the beginnings to its rise as an industrial centre up to the present day. BMW are three letters closely linked to this town. 

Historic Olympic Bobsleigh Track at Lake Riesser with Bobsleigh Museum

The winding bobsleigh run at Lake Riesser was notorious for many spectacular crashes. At speeds of up to 120 km/h, daring men once raced down this valley. Bobsleigh history was written here: in addition to various major championships, the races of the 1936 Winter Olympics were held at this location.

Today, the world-famous race track is a protected monument, and you can walk along the track. Just 350 metres from the finish line, you'll find the bobsleigh museum. It houses 17 historic bobsleighs and other exciting exhibition pieces. Historic film footage brings the sensations of past sporting events back to life.

Exhibition view in the bobsleigh museum with historic bobsleighs and photographs of the race track
Insight into over 100 years of bobsleigh history in the bobsleigh museum © SC Riessersee e.V. – Bobabteilung
Exhibition view in the bobsleigh museum with historic bobsleighs and photographs of the race track
Bobsleigh museum at Riessersee © Bobabteilung des SC Riessersee e.V.
Exhibition view in the bobsleigh museum with historic bobsleighs and photographs of the race track
Five-man bobsleigh 1910 © Bobabteilung des SC Riessersee e.V.
Two-man bobsleds
Two-man bob of modern generation © Bobabteilung des SC Riessersee e.V.

Industrial Monument Radom Raisting

The bright white air dome of the RADOM stands out clearly against the surrounding landscape and the Alps in the background
© Industriedenkmal Radom Raisting

The large white dome and the neighbouring parabolic antennas seem like props from a science fiction movie. They are, in fact, historic monuments located at the foothills of the Alps. Antenna I of the earth station Raisting, erected in 1963 and better known as Radom Raisting (conjunction of the words "radar dome"), was decommissioned in 1985. The Radom Raisting is considered to be the cradle of satellite-based telecommunications in Europe. Today, it counts as one of Germany's monuments of national importance.

The first moon landing and the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich were broadcast via the parabolic antenna protected by the gigantic dome. The Moscow-Washington hotline between the US and Soviet rulers during the Cold War was established via Raisting.