Museum Burg Ranis

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Ranis Castle was built on the plateau of a Zechstein reef above the Orla valley and was an important border fortress against the Slavs in the 11th century. It belonged successively to the Counts of Schwarzburg, the Wettins and the family von Brandenstein, and from 1571 to the lords of Breitenbauch (later Breitenbuch), who expanded it into a palace. In 1942 it passed to the German Red Cross; since 1994 it has belonged to the Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten (Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation).

The museum goes back to a local history association founded in 1925 under Major Dietrich von Breitenbuch, which set up an association museum around 1929. From the 1960s it was open to the public as the district and local history museum for the Pößneck district. From the beginning, a major draw were the finds from the Ilsenhöhle cave below the castle. Because the old exhibition had worn out after roughly six decades, a new museum concept was developed from 2015; in 2018 the permanent exhibitions on the geology of the Orla valley and the Ice Age opened.

The museum is run by the town. It also displays rooms on the Middle Ages in Thuringia and on castle history, a seismology cabinet, and allows visitors to climb the 38-meter keep. The finds from the Ilsenhöhle are evidence that modern humans lived here more than 45,000 years ago.

Highlights

• Keep (38 meters) to explore and climb
• Finds from the Ilsenhöhle and a glimpse into the Ice Age
• Underwater expedition to the Zechstein sea of the Orla valley
• Exhibition on the Middle Ages and castle history
• Seismology cabinet
• Virtual tour of the exhibition

Permanent exhibitions

• Mittelalter in Thüringen und Burggeschichte – The castle itself is the largest exhibit: a route through rural gentry, knights and legends, with access to the 38-meter keep.
• Geologie des Orlatales – An underwater expedition through the Zechstein sea from which the reef beneath the castle formed.
• Blick in die Eiszeit – On the trail of Ice Age hunters in the caves of the Orla basin, with finds from the Ilsenhöhle.

Founded

1926

Operated by

Ranis

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• 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

According to the museum, access is provided for visitors with limited mobility, and there is a lift. Two marked accessible parking spaces are in the outer ward. The keep is climbed on foot.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

The museum considers itself family-friendly: family ticket, interactive stations, project days for kindergartens and schools, a coloring book about Thuringian legends, and the legend of Ilse to listen to.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Bistro in the museum shop with regional ice cream, coffee and cake on the sun terrace; another café is at the start of the castle ascent.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Weddings in the gallery hall of the castle.

Plan your visit