Museum im Malhaus

About the museum

The Malhaus was built in 1597 as a courthouse by Jakob Fugger, who had taken over the lordship of Wasserburg in 1592. The island's fortification walls, no longer needed, serve as the foundation of the almost square building. On the first floor, five prison cells and a guardroom were created; on the second floor, a bright courtroom with windows facing the lake and a flat vaulted ceiling.

In the 1650s and 1660s, the Wasserburg witch trials took place here: more than two dozen people were interrogated, tortured, and convicted, most of them executed at the stake. Later, monks and then school classes used the building.

After a renovation, the municipality handed the building over in 1979 to the newly founded association Museum im Malhaus, which has run a museum there on a volunteer basis ever since. The first show was devoted to the Wasserburg painter Franz Löffler; more than 50 special exhibitions on art, local history, crafts, and customs followed. The association also supervised excavations on the peninsula and the revival of the Wasserburg traditional costume.

On permanent display are the originally preserved cells, a small exhibition on Lake Constance fishing with fishing gear and animal specimens, excavation finds from Alt-Wasserburg, and memorial rooms for the honorary citizens Martin Walser and Horst Wolfram Geißler. The second floor is reserved for exhibitions that change every year.

Highlights

• Originally preserved prison cells of the Wasserburg witch trials
• Historic courtroom of 1597
• Exhibition on Lake Constance fishing with fishing gear and specimens
• Memorial rooms for Martin Walser and Horst Wolfram Geißler
• Location directly on the lakeshore of the Wasserburg peninsula

Permanent exhibitions

• Hexenverfolgung in Wasserburg – The originally preserved cells and the courtroom recall the witch trials under Fugger rule in the 17th century.
• Fischer, Fische und Vögel am Bodensee – Fishing methods, fish traps, and an old drag net of the Wasserburg fishery as well as specimens of native fish and bird species.
• Martin Walser – Kinder- und Jugendzeit in Wasserburg – On the top floor: almost all works by the writer born in Wasserburg and mementos of his childhood by the lake; alongside, a corner for Horst Wolfram Geißler.

Founded

1979

Operated by

Museum im Malhaus e.V.

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

From the town center, follow the signs to the peninsula; the museum is located between the Haus des Gastes (visitor center) and the Catholic church.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit