Erfatal-Museum
Award-winning local history museum in the 1683 tithe barn in Hardheim on local history, crafts and space-flight pioneer Walter Hohmann – currently closed.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The origins of the collection go back to around 1900; in 1922 it was shown to the public for the first time in the tower room of Hardheim Castle. The driving force at the time was Emil Bader, a teacher from Bretzingen. In 1976 the Museumsverein Erfatal was founded; it secured and expanded the holdings and has run the museum on a voluntary basis ever since.
In the 1970s the museum moved into the attic floors of the so-called Schüttungsbau opposite the castle, a tithe barn completed in 1683 under the rule of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg. After a fundamental redesign, the first part of the exhibition opened in November 1991 and the second in September 1994. The museum has repeatedly been honoured as an “exemplary local history museum”, with the main prize in the Karlsruhe administrative district in 1994 and a further promotional prize in 1998.
In five sections the museum tells the story of Hardheim since prehistoric times, of local crafts with furnished workshops through to organ building, of farming in the Erfatal valley, and of well-known people from Hardheim such as the bicycle manufacturer Ignaz Schwinn and the painter Julius Heffner. One focus is Walter Hohmann, born in Hardheim, who was the first to calculate trajectories for journeys to other planets. Further attractions include a dance room from 1678, dinosaur tracks and the historic pharmacy installed in 2005. Because of fire-safety deficiencies in the building, the museum is currently not accessible; the association shows smaller exhibitions in the town hall and in the Erftalhalle and also operates the Walter Hohmann Observatory.
Highlights
- Section on space-flight pioneer Walter Hohmann with items from his estate
- 1897 tandem from the factory of Hardheim emigrant Ignaz Schwinn
- Fully reconstructed dance room from 1678
- Dinosaur tracks 200 to 230 million years old
- Original furnished corner shop and historic pharmacy
- Playable church organ built in Hardheim
Permanent exhibitions
- Hardheimer Geschichte, Handwerk und Landwirtschaft – A tour from prehistory and early history via the council chamber and civic furniture to furnished workshops and a dedicated floor on farming in the Erfatal valley (currently not accessible).
- Walter Hohmann und die Raumfahrt – Life and work of the engineer born in Hardheim who calculated the transfer orbits for space flight named after him, with objects from his estate (currently not accessible).
- Founded
- 1922
- Operated by
- Museumsverein Erfatal e.V.
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
For children aged 3 to 12 there is the “Räder-Ritter-Raketen-Weg” (Wheels-Knights-Rockets Trail): stations across the municipality where QR codes give access to stories about local history with quiz questions.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
