Heimatmuseum Herrnhut

About the museum

Herrnhut has a long museum tradition. In 1878, a museum association founded the "Museum zu Herrnhut," from which today's Museum of Ethnology later emerged. For local history, the Verein für Geschichte Herrnhuts opened an antiquities museum in the Brüderhaus in 1905 with evidence of the Upper Lusatia region and the Brüdergemeine, which was already expanded in 1907. In the town fire of May 1945, the building and large parts of the collection were lost; only a few pieces, such as the carpenter's axe of the town's founder Christian David, were saved.

Shortly after the end of the war, work began on a new local history museum. The site chosen was the Baroque townhouse built in 1764 at Comeniusstraße 6, which belonged to the Kölbing family for six generations. Their Biedermeier furnishings, acquired around 1830, had survived the years almost unchanged. From 1950, the town rented the first rooms along with their furnishings; 1962 is considered the founding year of today's museum.

Today the collection comprises more than 15,000 objects. The Alt-Herrnhuter Stuben show the domestic culture of the Brüdergemeine with inlaid furniture, handmade wallpaper, and paintings by, among others, Anton Graff. In 1996, areas on crafts, the furnishing of Upper Lusatian half-timbered houses (Umgebindehäuser), a silversmith's workshop, and municipal vehicles were added. The listed property includes a garden with a Chinese-style garden house from around 1790.

Highlights

• Alt-Herrnhuter Stuben with original Biedermeier furnishings
• Astronomical clock from 1785 with a case from the workshop of David Roentgen
• Pictures made of human hair and lacquered trays from the Herrnhut manufactory Gregor
• Paintings by Anton Graff, Adolf Lier, and Max Langer, among others
• Silversmith's workshop and tools of historic craft trades
• Garden with Chinese-style garden house

Permanent exhibitions

• Alt-Herrnhuter Stuben – Living rooms with Biedermeier furniture, wallpaper, and handicrafts as well as pictures and documents on the history of the Brüdergemeine and the town.
• Handwerk und Oberlausitzer Alltag – Tools of typical Herrnhut craft trades, a silversmith's workshop, furnishings from Umgebindehäuser, and municipal vehicles up to the Multicar.

Founded

1962

Operated by

Stadt Herrnhut

Admission & discounts

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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