Kreismuseum Bitburg-Prüm

About the museum

The museum was founded on August 11, 1929 as the local history museum of the then Bitburg district; the driving force was district administrator Albert Gilles. Today it is run by the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm and counts among the largest regional history museums in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Since 1998 the museum has been based in the so-called Altes Gymnasium (Old Grammar School) on Trierer Straße. The building was constructed from 1880 to 1882 as a higher agricultural school to plans by the royal building councillor Krone and the district building master Peter Josef Julius Wolff, and later served, among other things, as a grammar school and secondary school. After about ten years of vacancy it was modernized and opened as a museum on December 12, 1998.

In 20 rooms on around 1,000 square meters, the exhibition tells of life in the Eifel: archaeological finds from Roman times, a farmhouse kitchen, furniture and agricultural tools, workshops of the wheelwright, tailor, weaver and shoemaker, a tannery, a stonemason's workshop and a village forge. An extensive collection of sacred objects with altars, pulpits and processional banners, works by the painter Mathieu Molitor and evidence of the iron industry round out the picture. Regular special exhibitions take up further topics of regional history.

The house includes a library and an archive that can be used by arrangement – including the Bitburger Zeitung from 1848 to 1942. Since 2023 the museum has also housed thousands of glass negatives by the Kyllburg photographer Joseph Quirin.

Highlights

• Historic workshops of the wheelwright, shoemaker, weaver, tanner and village blacksmith
• Sacred art with altars, pulpits and processional banners
• Works by the Eifel painter Mathieu Molitor
• Archaeological finds from Roman times
• Farmhouse Eifel kitchen and furniture

Permanent exhibitions

• Alltags- und Kulturgeschichte der Eifel – 20 exhibition rooms with finds, workshops, furniture, sacred art, paintings and documents on life in the Eifel from Roman times to the 20th century.

Founded

1929

Operated by

Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm

Director

Burkhard Kaufmann

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Accessible entrance to the building, accessible exhibition rooms and accessible restroom.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

With the museum rally "Spurensuche", children go on a voyage of discovery through 2000 years of history; for grades 3 to 6 there is the museum guide "Johanna fällt aus dem Rahmen". Courses take place during the summer holidays, such as a comic drawing course for 6- to 14-year-olds.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit