Ortsmuseum Nackenheim

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The impetus for Nackenheim’s local museum came from archaeological finds in the municipality, above all a Frankish warrior’s grave. So that the finds and historical writings would stay in the village instead of disappearing into the store of the state museum, committed residents decided to exhibit them themselves. After stops at various locations, the collection found its home in the former schoolhouse below the parish church of St. Gereon. Built in 1832 in late neoclassical style with a teacher’s flat and two classrooms, the building is regarded as a typical Rhenish Hessian schoolhouse and is a listed monument; it belongs to the municipality. The museum names Wilhelm Klein, Werner Lang and Josef Struck as its founders, whose local history series (20 booklets, 1951–2002) also attracted attention beyond Nackenheim. According to the museum, it has existed for a good 60 years.

Over time, topics such as Nackenheim’s honorary citizens and the Zuckmayer family were added. In 2014 and 2015 the volunteers thoroughly renovated the house: the attic was converted, the roof re-covered and the façade redesigned. Because the lettering “Museum” on the outside wall can also be read as “Muxum”, the house now uses this name as its brand. It is run by the museum committee of the Heimat- und Kulturverein Nackenheim.

Today the Muxum brings together four permanent exhibitions: since 2017 the boatmen’s association has shown the Rhine-related trades of the lower village on the ground floor. On the upper floor, a multimedia exhibition is devoted to the Zuckmayer parents and their sons, the writer Carl and the music educator Eduard, who worked in Ankara. For the village’s 1,250th anniversary in 2023, the “Dorfschatzkammer” (village treasure chamber) was created with objects from prehistory to the present, and in the courtyard some 30 historic gravestones tell of four centuries of burial culture in Nackenheim. The house also shows changing art exhibitions and hosts talks, readings and film evenings; every year there is a special event for Carl Zuckmayer’s birthday on 27 December. On the “Muxum-Digital” platform, the museum makes writings and films on local history available online free of charge.

Highlights

• Listed schoolhouse of 1832 below St. Gereon’s Church
• Permanent exhibition “Die Zuckmayers – eine Familie aus Rheinhessen” on Carl and Eduard Zuckmayer and their parents
• Trades on the Rhine such as Färcher (sand dredgers), towpath riders, raftsmen and fishermen – with sailor’s knots to try yourself
• “Dorfschatzkammer” with objects from 1,250 years of local history and audio stories via QR code
• Lapidarium with some 30 historic gravestones in the museum courtyard, the oldest from the 17th century
• Transcripts of the Catholic parish registers from about 1600 to 1920 for reference

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Zuckmayers – eine Familie aus Rheinhessen – Tour of the upper floor on the parents Amalie and Carl Zuckmayer senior and their sons Carl and Eduard – from home and family through war, success, expulsion and exile to return and their later lives, with texts, photos, quotations, media stations and a bookcase from around 1900.
• Nackenheim – das Unterdorf geprägt vom Rhein – Since May 2017: exhibition by the boatmen’s association on the ground floor on the trades along the river, including the Färcher, known only in Nackenheim, who scooped sand from the Old Rhine, as well as towpath riders, raftsmen, fishermen and boat builders.
• Dorfschatzkammer – Nackenheimer Geschichte in Objekten – Since the anniversary year 2023: selected exhibits from prehistoric finds to the capsule factory and the village clubs; for each object, people from the region tell its story via QR code, and an accompanying booklet summarises the stations.
• Lapidarium der Nackenheimer Sepulkralkultur – Some 30 restored historic gravestones in the museum courtyard, secured and researched by stonemason Rainer Knußmann, as testimony to four centuries of regional burial culture.

Operated by

Heimat- und Kulturverein Nackenheim e. V. (Museumsausschuss)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the permanent and temporary exhibitions is free; donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

As a historic listed building, the house is not accessible according to the museum; the historic staircase is difficult for some visitors to climb. The Zuckmayer exhibition is on the upper floor.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

In the exhibition on life on the Rhine you can try your hand at various sailor’s knots.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the old schoolhouse below the parish church of St. Gereon and is the start and end point of the municipality’s local history trail. Nackenheim lies about 14 km south of Mainz on the B 9.

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