Museum im Grafenschloss Diez

About the museum

The Grafenschloss stands on a porphyry rock above the old town of Diez. The hilltop castle of the Counts of Diez was built in the High Middle Ages and, after the extinction of the counts' line, passed through several heirs to the Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg. They had the complex converted into a princely palace in the early Renaissance, often with Dutch craftsmen. Later it served as a dower residence and an administrative building.

In 1778/79 the castle was converted into a prison, which remained in operation until 1928; the prisoners processed, among other things, Lahn marble. In 1953 a youth hostel moved into the castle, and in the 1960s the Nassauisches Heimatmuseum followed.

Since 2007 the town of Diez has shown its historical collection in a newly designed permanent exhibition. Across four floors and more than 720 square meters, the display spans from around 380-million-year-old Devonian fossils to the electrical engineering of the early modern period. Stations to touch, listen, smell and try things out make the exhibition accessible to children and young people as well. It is supplemented by the "Objekt des Monats" and by changing special exhibitions.

Highlights

• Devonian fossils (approx. 380 million years old)
• Diez as a county seat and princely residence
• History of the Nassau prison in the castle
• Electrification and stencil painting
• Children's activities from coin minting to writing with a goose quill

Permanent exhibition

• Dauerausstellung zur Stadt- und Regionalgeschichte – Across four floors, from the Devonian age through the era of counts and princes and the prison in the castle to early modern electrical engineering, with stations to touch and try out.

Operated by

Stadt Diez

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

The museum has no lift of its own and is only partly accessible. Wheelchair users can reach the two upper floors by arrangement via the lift of the neighboring youth hostel. Dogs, including small ones, may not be taken into the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Stations to try out, feel, listen and smell. Activities for children aged 6 to 12 (prisoners in the Nassau prison, coat-of-arms painters, historical scribes, coin strikers) for up to 15 children, with coin minting limited to 10; also children's tours, a museum quiz and children's birthday parties by registration. In winter, some activities can be booked only in a limited way.

Getting there & parking

The castle sits raised on a rock in the middle of the town; in Diez, green signs point to the Grafenschloss.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit