Deutsches Epilepsiemuseum
The world's first museum on epilepsy: history of the disease, diagnostics, therapy, and art in rooms of the Handwerksmuseum in Kehl-Kork.
About the museum
The Deutsches Epilepsiemuseum opened in September 1998 in Kork, a district of Kehl. The impetus came from the pediatric neurologist and epileptologist Dr. Hansjörg Schneble, formerly chief physician and medical director at the neighboring Epilepsiezentrum Kork, and his son Hans-Martin. The occasion for the opening was a colloquium on epilepsy in literature. By its own account, it was the first museum of its kind anywhere.
Initially housed provisionally, the collection found its permanent home in newly refurbished rooms of the Korker Handwerksmuseum on Oberdorfstraße. Several hundred objects are on display, tracing how the disease has been dealt with from antiquity to the present.
The museum pursues two goals: on the one hand, it wants to show how earlier eras interpreted and treated seizures and what that reveals about their thinking; on the other, to educate about the disease and reduce prejudice. Topics include diagnostic methods up to the EEG, attempts at healing from the Middle Ages to modern times, the persecution of people with epilepsy under National Socialism, and depictions of the disease in painting, votive pictures, and literature. A scientific library with epileptological writings since the 17th century complements the exhibition. In 2005 the museum received the Sibylle-Ried-Preis of the Stiftung Michael.
Highlights
- Votive tablets and religious artworks on the patron saints of the "falling sickness"
- History of diagnostics and therapy from antiquity to the EEG
- Section on people with epilepsy under National Socialism
- Gallery of well-known personalities with epilepsy
- Specialist library with epileptological literature since the 17th century
Permanent exhibitions
- Epilepsie in Geschichte, Medizin und Kunst – Tour through several millennia of medical history – from ancient interpretations through attempts at healing and modern diagnostics to depictions of epilepsy in art and literature.
- Founded
- 1998
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Kork-Schwanen
Kork station (Appenweier–Kehl line); bus stop "Kork-Schwanen".
By car via the A5, exit Appenweier, then B 28 toward Kehl/Strasbourg to the exit Neumühl/Kork; after the Kork town sign take the first street on the left and follow the signs "Gemeindehalle".
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Tours on request by email or phone; groups also outside the Sunday opening. |
