Heimatmuseum Graacher Tor
Volunteer-run local history museum inside the only surviving town gate of Bernkastel-Kues, with exhibits covering 700 years of town history.
About the museum
The Graacher Tor was built around 1300 as one of what were once eight gates in Bernkastel's town fortifications. It is named after the neighboring village of Graach to the north, to which the road through the gate led. During the War of the Palatine Succession, French troops razed the gate and the wall in 1689; at the beginning of the 18th century the structure was rebuilt, lower and in an altered form.
In the centuries that followed, its use changed several times: from 1714 the gate served as a prison, and later it housed apartments and a homeless shelter. Today it is the only surviving town gate of Bernkastel-Kues. In 2002, wooden gate doors modeled on the historical originals were installed once again.
Since 1985, the Förderkreis (support group) of the Kolpingsfamilie Bernkastel St. Michael has run a local history museum in the building on a volunteer basis, with support from the town. Spread across four rooms, it displays town views, maps, flags and coats of arms, wooden sculptures, and furnishings from the former Capuchin monastery. Also on view are portraits of old merchant families, mementos of the composer Hermann Schroeder, photographs of floods, ice drifts and fires, and documents on local club and community life.
Highlights
- The only surviving town gate of Bernkastel-Kues (around 1300)
- Flags from the revolutionary period of 1848 and town coats of arms
- Furnishings from the former Capuchin monastery
- Mementos of the composer Hermann Schroeder
- Historical photos of floods, ice drifts and town fires
- Founded
- 1985
- Operated by
- Förderkreis der Kolpingsfamilie Bernkastel St. Michael 1856 (mit Unterstützung der Stadt Bernkastel-Kues)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | –Children free |
Prices according to the Museumsportal Rheinland-Pfalz.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- 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
The historic gate building is not wheelchair-accessible.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Amenities & 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
| Good to know | Small, volunteer-run museum in four rooms of the gate. |
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