Pfunds-Museum
Museum of scales, weights and measuring instruments spanning around 5,000 years in Kleinsassen, the painters' village in the Rhön, with many pieces to try out.
About the museum
The museum is based on the collection of Reinhardt Kremer, who spent decades gathering scales, weights, ells and other measuring instruments. In 2001 it found a home in the former residence of the painter and hotelier Julius von Kreyfelt in Kleinsassen, the painters' village at the foot of the Milseburg. The museum is run by volunteers of the nonprofit association Pfunds-Museum Kleinsassen.
Across around 250 square meters in seven rooms, the museum shows how people have measured and weighed things over some 5,000 years – with pieces from ancient Egypt, Babylonia, Greece and the Roman Empire through to the Vikings, from Hesse, Thuringia and Franconia as well as from Iceland, Africa and China. The tools of a wide variety of trades are represented: pharmacy, bakery, letter, egg and potato scales, ultra-precise laboratory analytical balances, personal scales and a large livestock scale from Sieblos.
Many exhibits may be tried out, for example by guessing weights on an old railway station scale or by weighing a whole group on the livestock scale. A working tower clock with a beam-balance mechanism explains why hours were not always the same length in the past. Audio information is available via QR code in every room; guided tours explain the social and historical background. The association also lends objects to other museums and helps identify historical measuring instruments.
Highlights
- Large livestock scale from Sieblos to weigh yourself on
- Working tower clock with a beam-balance mechanism
- Old railway station scale for guessing weights
- Small scales and weights used for payment by the Ashanti and Baoulé in West Africa
- Precision balances from pharmacies and chemistry labs
Permanent exhibitions
- 5000 Jahre messen & wägen – Scales, weights and measuring instruments from almost every trade and many countries, from antiquity to the present, spread across seven rooms.
- Founded
- 2001
- Operated by
- Pfunds-Museum Kleinsassen e.V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Children ages 6 to 12, unemployed people, university students, school classes and people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Children up to age 6 free, ages 6 to 12 reduced. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3 |
| Students & apprentices | €3 |
| Groups | –Guided tour flat fee of €50 per group or school class (up to 20 people) in addition to admission; accompanying teachers/educators and bus drivers free. One person pays for the whole group. |
Prices do not include a guided tour. No card payments; groups can also pay by bank transfer or invoice. A tongue-in-cheek alternative: 10 cents per kilogram of live weight, weighed on the large livestock scale.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
Many scales and weights may be tried out; children can, for example, be weighed like jockeys before a race. Children up to age 6 get free admission.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bus lines 34 and 90 to Kleinsassen.
By car
Parking available
Parking lot at the cemetery in Kleinsassen, then walk to the museum (route map on the museum website).
Amenities & dining
- Wi-Fi
Museum Wi-Fi for the audio information via QR code.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours generally last 1.5–2 hours, for school classes 1–1.5 hours (up to 20 people, by appointment). In every room, audio information can be accessed via QR code after connecting to the museum Wi-Fi. For third- and fourth-grade classes there are worksheets that encourage playful exploration. |
