Museum der Stadt Vils
Town museum of Vils in the Schlössle with town history, Vils violin making, geology and the Baroque painter Balthasar Riepp; currently closed for renovation.
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About the museum
The museum association of the town of Vils was founded in 1987; in 1993 it set up a first room as a museum in the Schlössle. The Schlössle at the southern end of the Stadtgasse was once connected to the upper town gate and served as an administrative building. Since 2014 the association has operated as VilsArt Kulturverein.
The exhibition tells the history of the small town, which has held town rights since 1327 as the only one in the Reutte district, using views, maps, exhibits and finds from Roman times to the present. One focus is violin and organ making: alongside Cremona, Mittenwald and Füssen, Vils was also a centre of violin making. Instruments by the Rief and Petz families and by Johann Ulrich Eberle are on display; visitors can hear what Vils violins sound like in the museum.
A geology room shows stones and fossils from the region and explains the formation of the Alps; it is also the starting or end point of the GEO-Pfad. Further themes are the world traveller Balthasar Springer, who travelled as a passenger on a Portuguese ship all the way to India, and the Baroque painter Balthasar Riepp, who spent the last ten years of his life in Vils and is represented with a selection of his works. The museum is currently closed until further notice due to renovation work.
Highlights
- Vils violins by the Rief and Petz families, whose sound you can hear
- Geology room with rocks and fossils, start or end point of the GEO-Pfad
- Works by the Baroque painter Balthasar Riepp
- Balthasar Springer, the "sea traveller" from Vils
- Town history from Roman times to the present
Permanent exhibition
- Stadtgeschichte, Geigenbau und Geologie – Permanent exhibition on the history of Vils, Vils violin making, the geology of the region, and Balthasar Springer and Balthasar Riepp (currently not accessible).
- Founded
- 1993
- Operated by
- Stadtgemeinde Vils
Admission & discounts
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
Accessibility
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
Kids & families
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
Getting there & parking
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
Amenities & dining
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
Events & venue rental
The museum is closed until further notice due to renovation work; information is available from the municipality of Vils.
