Museum Schloss Lichtenberg

About the museum

A castle of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen already stood on the rocky spur above the Fischbachtal in the 12th century. Landgrave Georg I of Hesse-Darmstadt had it replaced with a Renaissance castle between 1570 and 1581, built by the master builder Jacob Kesselhuth. The landgrave's family valued the healthy mountain air, used the house as a hunting seat and occasionally as a dowager residence.

After the Thirty Years' War the castle lost its function and decayed over centuries. Later it passed to the State of Hesse. In 1951 a landscape museum was set up in it. It has since been expanded several times and now covers around 1,120 square meters on three floors, plus an 85-square-meter lecture and activity room.

The collection shows the rural world of the Odenwald with historic plows, carts and tools, textile and ballpoint pen production, the wooden Odenwälder Pferdchen (small Odenwald horses), a 19th-century pharmacy and more than 10,000 tin figures in dioramas. A separate section is dedicated to the Odenwald painter Johannes Lippmann. Today the castle is a cultural center of the municipality of Fischbachtal, a wedding venue, and an environmental education station of the UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald.

Highlights

• Landscape museum across three floors, with the Kaisersaal and Ahnensaal
• Largest collection on the Odenwald painter Johannes Lippmann
• Over 10,000 tin figures in dioramas (Wittersheim collection)
• Historic 19th-century pharmacy
• Climb to the defense tower on guided tours

Permanent exhibitions

• Landnutzung im Odenwald von der Vorgeschichte bis heute – The exhibition on the third floor shows how people have farmed the landscape for millennia, with tools, models and hands-on stations.
• Johannes Lippmann – The largest group of works by the Odenwald painter and Büchner Prize laureate.

Founded

1951

Operated by

Gemeinde Fischbachtal

Admission & discounts

The price of the tour follows the regional tourism portal; registration is made with the Geopark guides.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The permanent exhibition on land use includes hands-on elements for children; tours can be booked for groups and families.

Getting there & parking

The castle is a junction of several hiking trails, including the Alemannenweg and the St. Jost pilgrimage route. Timetable information is available from the transport association DADINA.

Amenities & dining

Restaurants within walking distance, such as the Landgasthof Brunnenwirt about 600 meters away.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Kaisersaal, Ahnensaal and Gewölbesaal (vaulted hall) can be rented individually or combined; catering through local Fischbachtal restaurateurs. Inquiries to kultur@fischbachtal.de, tel. 06166 9300-23. Weddings in the castle are arranged through the registry office.

Plan your visit