Archäologisches Museum Essenbach

About the museum

The municipal area of Essenbach in the middle Isar valley is considered one of the richest areas for archaeological finds in Germany. Research began in 1911 with the Landshut secondary school teacher Johann Pollinger, who noticed dark discolourations in the soil at Holzen near Altheim. The excavations in the Altheim earthwork later gave their name to an entire Neolithic culture. Since then, new housing developments, road construction, aerial prospection, dedicated local collectors and numerous excavations by the State Office for Monument Preservation have brought almost 200 sites to light – including a Bavarian burial discovered while a maypole was being erected.

When a Roman brick kiln weighing around 55 tonnes was recovered in the winter of 1994/95, the wish for a museum of its own arose. Commissioned by the municipality and together with the State Office for Monument Preservation, the State Office for Non-State Museums and the Prehistoric State Collection, it was set up within just under two years and opened on 12 July 1997.

In two attic rooms of the Heimathaus on Rathausplatz, more than 300 finds exclusively from the municipal area, supplemented by models and site maps, show the settlement history from the first settlement around 7,500 years ago to the early Middle Ages. A large aerial photograph marks the known sites. Guided tours as well as school and birthday programmes are run by the educational organisation ZEITEN-ERLEBEN.

Highlights

• Finds of the Neolithic Altheim culture
• Large aerial photograph showing the sites in the municipal area
• More than 300 finds from Essenbach
• Models on the settlement history of the Isar valley

Permanent exhibition

• 7.500 Jahre Besiedlungsgeschichte im mittleren Isartal – Finds, models and site maps from the municipal area of Essenbach, from the Neolithic with the Altheim culture to the early Middle Ages.

Founded

1997

Operated by

Markt Essenbach

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's birthday parties with archaeological themes from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages by arrangement.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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