Gruberhof
Museum farmstead in Groß-Umstadt with crafts, agriculture, winegrowing, and town history – temporarily closed after water damage.
About the museum
The Gruberhof in the Raibacher Tal goes back to a knacker’s yard: in 1816 the Klotz family of knackers, who came from a Frankfurt dynasty of executioners, received a plot of land outside the town here, because their old site had by then become surrounded by houses. Through marriage, the farm passed to the Gruber family in 1908, who ran a large sheep farm with thousands of animals there until the 1970s.
The Umstädter Museums- und Geschichtsverein (museum and history society), founded in 1979, showed its first exhibitions at the farm from 1985. After the town of Groß-Umstadt bought the property in 1986, the society opened the museum at Easter 1987 and still runs it on a volunteer basis today; the Odenwaldklub hiking club also has its clubhouse here.
Arranged around a large courtyard are workshops of former Umstadt crafts, a drugstore from the 1920s, barns with farm equipment and a winegrowing section with a cooperage and wine cellar, as well as an archaeological section with a Frankish warrior discovered in 1993 and the Umstadt executioner’s sword. A servants’ apartment and a middle-class apartment reveal social differences; the bakehouse and cottage garden are used for festivals.
At the beginning of September 2026, a burst water pipe severely damaged the exhibition rooms in the residential building. The museum has been closed since then; the society hopes to reopen the other areas in spring 2027.
Highlights
- Craft sections from the wheelwright’s shop to the smithy
- Drugstore furnishings from the 1920s
- Winegrowing section with presses, cooper’s workshop, and wine cellar
- Frankish warrior’s grave and Umstadt executioner’s sword (around 1600)
- Working bakehouse and cottage garden
Permanent exhibitions
- Handwerk und Landwirtschaft – Workshops of former Umstadt crafts such as the wheelwright’s, saddler’s, and smithy, a drugstore from the 1920s, and agricultural equipment in the large barn.
- Weinbau und Brauereigeschichte – Grape varieties, wine presses, the cooper’s craft, and wine cellar, plus a model of the former Brenner brewery.
- Archäologie und Stadtgeschichte – Finds from the Stone Age through the Romans to the Frankish warrior, plus the Umstadt executioner’s sword and the living worlds of servants and the middle class.
- Founded
- 1987
- Operated by
- Umstädter Museums- und Geschichtsverein e. V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission for everyone. |
|---|
Free admission; donations are welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
The “Kinder im Museum” team offers a museum rally and “mouse hunt,” old-time games, and workshops such as an herb or chocolate workshop.
Getting there & parking
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No dedicated parking lot: park along the streets “Am Herrnberg” and “Raibacher Tal” or in the Stadthalle parking lot; the neighboring sports field is not available, and please keep the sidewalk and the lawn of the “Bleiche” clear.
The farm is located next to the “Bleiche” recreation area in the Raibacher Tal.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
On opening days, the museum team serves homemade cake, regional products, and fair-trade coffee; wine tastings by advance booking.
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 | Group visits and guided tours by trained museum guides on request. An illustrated museum guide (76 pages, €7.50) is available at the museum. |
