Museum Rheinau

About the museum

At first there was only a tiny local history room in the tower of the Heidenkirchlein church in Freistett. In 1987 the town of Rheinau acquired the warehouse and counting house built in 1745 by the Strasbourg banker Georg Daniel Kückh at Hauptstraße 16; it was converted into a local history museum and opened by 1990. In 1988, citizens founded the sponsoring association.

In the courtyard, a shed for agricultural equipment and an old distillery were built in 1996. In 2005 an exhibition on Rhine navigation was added on the upper floor; it is considered the largest of its kind between Basel and Karlsruhe. In 2007 the house was renamed the Museum for Rhine Navigation and Local History, and in 2008 two rooms for changing exhibitions were created on the ground floor.

The permanent exhibition traces the story from finds of prehistory and early history through crafts, hemp and tobacco cultivation, fishing and basket weaving, to domestic life around 1900. Ship models and dioramas show canal and Rhine navigation up to modern pushed convoys.

Highlights

• Largest Rhine navigation exhibition between Basel and Karlsruhe
• Ship models and dioramas of Rhine use
• Half-timbered house from 1745
• Crafts, hemp and tobacco cultivation, fishing
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Rheinschifffahrt – Ship models of canal and Rhine navigation from its beginnings to the pushed convoy, and dioramas on the use of the Rhine.
• Heimatkunde Rheinau – Prehistory and early history, crafts, hemp and tobacco cultivation, fishing, basket weaving and rural domestic life.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Museum Rheinau – Museum für Rheinschifffahrt und Heimatkunde e.V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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 ground floor can be visited with a wheelchair and rollator; barrier-free access is only available via the entrance on Hauptstraße. The museum is not fully barrier-free.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

As part of the town of Rheinau's holiday program, the museum offers children's workshops, for example on building a wooden boat; kindergarten groups are also taken through the house.

Getting there & parking

From the A5, take the Achern exit toward Rheinau; in the district of Freistett on Hauptstraße (B36), No. 16 is the second house after the first intersection.

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