Musée du Sonnenhof
Museum of the Sonnenhof Protestant Foundation in Bischwiller, tracing the evolution of support for people with intellectual disabilities since 1876.
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About the museum
The museum belongs to the Sonnenhof Protestant Foundation, based in Bischwiller. The foundation was born in 1876 at the initiative of two pastors and a group of Protestant laypeople from northern Alsace. A project for an asylum for children with intellectual disabilities had already been launched in 1865 by Auguste Jaeger and Théodore Stricker. In 1876, two children were taken in for the first time, in a small house in Oberhoffen-sur-Moder.
The foundation later extended its work to adults with disabilities and then to dependent older people. After the 1975 law, it set up a work-assistance centre, which became an establishment and service for work assistance (ESAT), and it opened numerous facilities across northern Alsace.
Open for around ten years, the museum recounts how practices and attitudes towards disability have changed: from assistance to support, and from protection to inclusion. The route is made up of several exhibition rooms that trace the foundation’s history. The museum’s curator leads guided visits by appointment.
Highlights
- Rooms tracing the history of the Sonnenhof Foundation since 1876
- Changing practices and attitudes towards intellectual disability
- Objects, archives and period testimonies
- Guided visit with the museum’s curator
Permanent exhibition
- Parcours sur l'histoire de la Fondation Sonnenhof – Exhibition rooms presenting objects, archives and testimonies on support for people with intellectual disabilities through the ages.
- Founded
- 2016
- Operated by
- Fondation protestante Sonnenhof
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Visits take place with the curator, by appointment. For the 2026 Heritage Days, the museum offered a free escape game on booking, lasting about 1 hour 30 minutes. |
