Museum 1212 Enns

About the museum

Enns is considered Austria's oldest town because in 1212 it received a town-rights privilege, the oldest surviving town charter in the country. This anniversary gave the museum its name. It presents the town's history in Schloss Ennsegg and complements the Lauriacum Roman Museum on the Hauptplatz, with which it shares its operator, website and combined ticket.

The tour begins in 1186 with the Georgenberger Handfeste (Georgenberg Charter), a treaty between the duchies of Styria and Austria that is regarded as Austria's first state treaty. It was signed on the Georgenberg, today's castle park. From the market settlement of the Styrian Otakars, where fairs with merchants from all over Europe already took place, Enns became a town with its own rights in 1212.

Across eight rooms, multimedia stations, room installations and partly staged scenes trace the town's development to the present day. Topics include views of the town with a virtual flight around the medieval town wall, the town charter document with a comparison of medieval and modern legal ideas, municipal institutions such as the fire brigade, the hospital and the marksmen's guild, and the religious history of the town. The exhibition was designed by the artist Peter Hans Felzmann based on a content concept by the historian Roman Sandgruber.

Highlights

• Town charter of 1212 and comparison with today's law
• Georgenberger Handfeste of 1186 with video scenes and tin-figure dioramas
• Virtual flight around the medieval town wall
• Multimedia and room installations in eight rooms
• Combined ticket with the Lauriacum Museum

Permanent exhibition

• Stadtgeschichte von Enns – Eight rooms on the history of Austria's oldest town, from the Georgenberger Handfeste of 1186 and the town charter of 1212 to the present, with multimedia stations and room installations.

Founded

2023

Operated by

Tourismus und Stadtmarketing Enns GmbH

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to Upper Austria Tourism, largely wheelchair-suitable; the Enns museums explicitly state accessibility only for the Lauriacum Museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

According to the museum, the exhibition is designed as an experience for the whole family. The Enns museums offer school classes education programs with a "Forscherpass" (researcher's pass) and craft activities, as well as children's birthday parties (€15 per child, March to October, offered at the Lauriacum Museum).

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Schloss Ennsegg at Schloßgasse 4 in Enns; the castle park is the historic Georgenberg.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit