Museum für Franken

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1913, when the art treasures of the city of Würzburg, the Historischer Verein (historical society), and the Fränkischer Kunst- und Altertumsverein (Franconian art and antiquities society) were brought together in the Fränkisches Luitpoldmuseum on Maxstraße. The building was destroyed in the 1945 air raid. Starting in 1946, Max H. von Freeden used the salvaged holdings to build up the Mainfränkisches Museum in the arsenal of Marienberg Fortress.

Initially a municipal institution, the museum became a joint body of the city of Würzburg and the district's Unterfränkische Kulturstiftung (Lower Franconian cultural foundation) in 2003. On January 1, 2017, the Free State of Bavaria took over as operator; since then it has been called Museum für Franken. As of October 1, 2025, responsibility passed to the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, whose director Richard Loibl has headed the museum since then.

The museum presents the art and cultural history of the region from prehistory to the 19th century, including a Bronze Age cult wagon, Baroque paintings, ornate furniture, faience, and decorative arts. The highlight is the world's largest collection of works by Tilman Riemenschneider, with around 80 pieces, including the stone figures of Adam and Eve from Würzburg's Marienkapelle. The Fürstenbaumuseum and the folklore department have been closed since 2021.

The fortress has been undergoing renovation in sections since 2022. By around 2032, the museum and its storage facilities are to move into the redesigned inner castle and reopen there as an accessible state museum with a new permanent exhibition on the history of all of Franconia. Until then, the exhibition in the arsenal remains open.

Highlights

• World's largest Riemenschneider collection with around 80 sculptures
• Adam and Eve from Würzburg's Marienkapelle
• Bronze Age cult wagon
• Baroque paintings, ornate furniture, and faience
• Setting in the arsenal of Marienberg Fortress above the Main valley

Permanent exhibitions

• Riemenschneider-Sammlung – Around 80 sculptures, reliefs, and small sculptures from all creative phases of Tilman Riemenschneider and his workshop, including Adam and Eve from the Marienkapelle.
• Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte Frankens – A tour from archaeology through the Middle Ages and the Baroque to Romanticism and Biedermeier, with paintings, furniture, tapestries, faience, and decorative arts.

Founded

1913

Operated by

Freistaat Bayern (seit 1. Oktober 2025 in Verantwortung des Hauses der Bayerischen Geschichte)

Director

Richard Loibl

Admission & discounts

Tickets also available in advance in the online shop. Free admission for, among others, school students over 18, art history/art students, holders of the Bavarian Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card), and holders of the annual pass of the Bavarian state museums. Public Sunday walks: €2 tour fee plus admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Historic building without an elevator; stairs with up to 45 steps lead to the second floor, and the outdoor grounds have cobblestones and slopes. Loaner wheelchair at the ticket desk. Restrooms on the second floor (35 steps); an accessible restroom is located about 150 m away in the second castle courtyard. Two accessible parking spaces about 60 m from the entrance inside the fortress. Tactile floor guidance system with tactile stations, media guide with sign language videos and in Easy Language, induction loops available to borrow.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's version of the audio guide; family tours, children's birthday parties, vacation programs, and activities such as fairy-tale tours. Baby changing table in the women's restroom, expressly also for fathers.

Getting there & parking

Alternative walking route via Schlossgasse (noticeable incline).

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Lockers

Currently no food service at the fortress; beverage and snack vending machines in the second castle courtyard. Lockers, luggage storage at the ticket desk.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Schönbornhalle and Kelterhalle for corporate events, birthdays, or club anniversaries, e.g. with a champagne reception; catering with food currently not possible.

Plan your visit