Hörselbergmuseum

About the museum

The Hörselbergmuseum is housed in a listed ensemble in the center of Schönau, a district of Wutha-Farnroda. The group of buildings, more than 300 years old, includes a church, an old schoolhouse, and a parsonage farmstead with a parsonage, stable, barn, and wash and bake house. The heart of the museum is the former stable building. The municipality issued usage regulations for the building in 2000; in 2025 the museum celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The exhibition centers on the Hörselberge, a striking mountain ridge above the Hörsel Valley: their geological origin, documented by fossil finds, their species-rich wildlife, and the special orchid flora. Considerable space is given to the legends surrounding the mountains – from Tannhäuser and Frau Holle to Faithful Eckart – which occupied Richard Wagner as much as the fairy-tale collector Ludwig Bechstein.

Inspired by the parsonage farmstead's old bakehouse, where baking is still done for village festivals, the barn building presents an exhibition on the regional baking trade with historic machines, tools, and a recreated bakery shop. For school classes, the museum has developed curriculum-based projects together with the Mobile Museum Education service.

Highlights

• Fossil finds on the origin of the Hörselberge
• Orchid flora and wildlife of the mountain ridge
• Legends of Tannhäuser, Frau Holle, and Faithful Eckart
• Exhibition on the regional baking trade with a historic bakery shop
• Listed parsonage farmstead ensemble with bakehouse

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Hörselberge – Geologie, Natur und Sagen – Fossil finds, the animals and plants of the mountain ridge, and the legends of Tannhäuser, Frau Holle, and Faithful Eckart, with links to Richard Wagner and Ludwig Bechstein.
• Regionales Backhandwerk – In the barn of the parsonage farmstead: old baking machines and tools on the baking tradition in the Hörsel Valley, plus a historically recreated bakery shop.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Gemeinde Wutha-Farnroda

Admission & discounts

Museum education projects for school classes cost €3–5 per person plus admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

For children's and school groups, a museum scavenger hunt in the form of a question-and-picture-search game can be booked.

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