Rollettmuseum

About the museum

The Baden physician Anton Rollett (1778–1842) was a passionate collector and opened his collection of natural specimens, antiquities and technical products to the public from 1810. After his death the holdings found several homes; in 1867 his family donated them to the town, which merged them with the old town archive in 1876. His son Hermann Rollett, a poet and local historian, directed the "Städtische Sammlungen" (municipal collections) and expanded them considerably.

Since 1914 the museum has been housed in the former town hall of the municipality of Weikersdorf, which was built in 1903/04 in the German Renaissance style and lost its function after incorporation into Baden in 1912. In the First World War the building served as a food warehouse and remained closed for twelve years; it reopened in 1926. Since 2015 the Rollettmuseum and the town archive have belonged to the Museums of the City of Baden.

On roughly 350 square metres the exhibition spans from Rollett's cabinet of curiosities and the Gall skull collection through the Neolithic, Roman Baden, the Middle Ages and the Biedermeier period to the 19th-century spa town and the events up to 1955.

Highlights

• Rollett Cabinet – the cabinet of curiosities of the physician Anton Rollett
• Gall skull collection with over 200 skulls and busts
• Neolithic finds of the Baden culture and Roman Baden
• Wooden city model of 1900 and Middle Ages room
• Spa town Baden and the Biedermeier period

Permanent exhibitions

• Rollettkabinett – The cabinet of curiosities of the physician Anton Rollett with plant specimens, apothecary crocodiles, an ancient Egyptian mummy and souvenirs from a world tour.
• Gall'sche Schädelsammlung – Over 200 skulls and busts from the research of the physician Franz Joseph Gall as well as body casts, including a life mask of Napoleon.
• Stationen der Stadtgeschichte – From the Neolithic through the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the Biedermeier period to the spa town of Baden and the events up to 1955.

Founded

1810

Operated by

Stadtgemeinde Baden (Museen der Stadt Baden)

Admission & discounts

The website lists the Niederösterreich-CARD as an accepted card. School tours €3 per pupil.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

Due to the historic building fabric, the museum is not accessible according to the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's and birthday tours (ages 6–12), legend tour and a climbing cave to explore with helmet and torch; themed tours for primary school classes.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with publications on the history of Baden in the entrance area.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit