Dorfmuseum Wagenschwend

About the museum

The building on Hauptstraße was erected in 1892 as the school and town hall of the Odenwald village of Wagenschwend; its walls of local red sandstone themselves tell of the region's geology and the once ubiquitous stone working. Since 1998, the Heimat- und Museumsverein, founded that year, has used the building as a museum. The collection has been continuously expanded since then, and in recent years the building was renovated and the exhibition redesigned.

On four floors, the museum aims to show how people in the Odenwald lived, worked and celebrated – without nostalgic romanticising, but through concrete examples. On the ground floor, the mineral collection of Karl Grathwohl, comprising around 3,000 pieces, has been on display since 2019 as a loan from the municipality of Waldbrunn, with a focus on finds from the Katzenbuckel. Above it are musical instruments from the region, a barber's shop, another collection of rocks and fossils, and a history room on the seven districts of the municipality of Limbach. The second floor includes a cobbler's workshop from around 1950; the cellar houses a cider press room and a bakery, and there is also an outdoor bakehouse. A separate focus commemorates the Polish forced labourer Hanka Szendzielarz, who died in the village shortly before the end of the war.

The museum is run entirely by volunteers. The association was an early adopter of livestreams, films and social media and, as a Geopunkt, is part of the UNESCO Geopark in the Odenwald.

Highlights

• Karl Grathwohl mineral collection with around 3,000 pieces, focus on the Katzenbuckel
• Barber's shop with tools from around 1800 to the present
• Collection of old musical instruments from the region
• Cobbler's workshop around 1950
• Cider press room, bakery and bakehouse
• The story of the forced labourer Hanka Szendzielarz

Permanent exhibitions

• Alltag und Handwerk im Odenwald – Four floors with a barber's shop, cobbler's workshop, musical instruments, cider press room and bakery, as well as a room on the history of the seven districts of Limbach.
• Mineraliensammlung Karl Grathwohl – On display since May 2019: around 3,000 minerals and crystals from around the world, mainly from the nearby Katzenbuckel, on permanent loan from the municipality of Waldbrunn.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Heimat- und Museumsverein Wagenschwend e.V.

Director

Gerhard Schäfer

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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

According to its own information, the museum is barrier-free.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café

Museum café on opening Sundays with coffee, non-alcoholic drinks and homemade cakes and tarts, on the ground floor or outdoors.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit