Fasnachtsmuseum Schloss Langenstein

About the museum

Schloss Langenstein in the Hegau goes back to a keep that Reichenau Abbey had built on a rock around 1100; the Renaissance building dates from the late 16th century. In 1826 Grand Duke Ludwig of Baden bought the estate, and through his daughter Luise it passed to the Swedish counts Douglas, who still live in the castle today. The castle itself is privately owned; the estate now also includes a golf course.

The idea for the museum came about in 1966, when the president of the Narrenvereinigung Hegau-Bodensee (Hegau-Lake Constance carnival association) saw a mask exhibition in Freiburg. Count Wilhelm Douglas then made rooms in the castle available, district archivist Franz Götz built up the collection, and the Fasnachtsmuseum opened on November 9, 1969. In 1970 the newly founded association Verein Fasnachtsmuseum Langenstein took over its operation. Over the decades the exhibition grew to around 1,000 square meters in twelve rooms with hundreds of life-size carnival figures.

From 2016, at the suggestion of the count's family, the association planned a new building outside the castle gates. The sustainable timber building with a heat pump was financed with support from the region, the state, the federal government and the EU, and was digitally equipped as part of the “museum4punkt0” program. The new museum opened on June 25, 2025. It presents carnival figures in an open storage display across two floors, an ethnological mask collection, Zizenhausen terracottas and interactive stations, including an AI-powered mask scanner.

Highlights

• Around 200 life-size Swabian-Alemannic carnival figures in the open storage display
• About 300 masks from around the world, including Graubünden masks by Albert Anton Willi
• Historic Villingen “Schemen” masks from around 1700 onward
• Zizenhausen terracottas with a virtual scavenger hunt
• AI-powered face and mask scanning
• FAMU children's world with workshop room and studio

Permanent exhibitions

• Narrengestalten – Open storage display across two floors with life-size figures of the Swabian-Alemannic Fasnacht, complemented by tablet information on towns and carnival guilds.
• Masken der Welt – Ethnological mask collection from Africa and Latin America to the Alps, with a touch table and an augmented reality globe.

Founded

1969

Operated by

Fasnachtsmuseum Langenstein e.V.

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• 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

No accessibility information on the website (new building from 2025).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The children's world FAMU, with a workshop room and studio, offers programs for children, families, and groups. Interactive stations such as masks you can try on virtually, a digital mask globe, and a touch-sensitive wooden wall. Children's tour (about 45 min.) and children's world "Masken" (masks) with a workshop (about 2 hrs.) only for kindergartens, schools, and clubs with 10 or more children. Children under 3 years free.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on the road from Steißlingen via Wiechs to Eigeltingen.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Museum shop. Restaurant Toscana (Italian cuisine, sun terrace) right next to the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit