Schwäbisches Krippenmuseum

About the museum

The Schwäbisches Krippenmuseum opened in 1989 in the former Jesuit college of Mindelheim, where it is now part of the city's "Museen im Colleg" together with the Textile Museum and the Südschwäbisches Archäologiemuseum. In 2018, the permanent exhibition was fundamentally redesigned; the following year, the museum received the Swabian Museum Prize of the Hans-Frei-Kulturstiftung.

Instead of a mere sequence of nativity scenes by age, the presentation is organized into thematic islands on the cultural history of the nativity scene. It begins with its emergence as a pictorial medium: in the 16th century, the Jesuits used lifelike figure scenes to convey the Christmas story vividly. The Mindelheim Jesuit nativity scene, first set up in 1618, is considered the oldest in Swabia. As precursors, the museum shows figures of the Christ Child from Swabian convents, including a figure from around 1300 that is considered the oldest of its kind, and a work by the sculptor Michel Erhart.

Further stations are devoted to the lavish church nativity scenes of the Baroque and their decline during the Enlightenment, the nativity scene of the Mindelheim Franciscan sisters with a model of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the amateur carvers in the "Krippenparadies" (nativity paradise) around Krumbach, and the serial production of figures from clay, wax, papier-mâché, or plastic. The conclusion is formed by Oriental nativity scenes in the Munich style and contemporary works that reinterpret the theme with sculpture, video, or comics. The museum is open year-round.

Highlights

• Figure of the Christ Child from around 1300 – the oldest known of its kind
• Mindelheim Jesuit nativity scene, first set up in 1618
• Christ Child by the sculptor Michel Erhart (around 1495)
• Nativity scene of the Mindelheim Franciscan sisters with a model of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
• Media station on the Star of Bethlehem

Permanent exhibitions

• Schwäbisches Krippenmuseum – Thematic islands on the cultural history of the nativity scene – from early figures of the Christ Child and the Jesuit nativity scene through Baroque and folk nativity scenes to serially produced figures and contemporary nativity art.

Founded

1989

Operated by

Stadt Mindelheim

Director

Friederike Haber

Admission & discounts

Uniform admission prices for the Mindelheim museums.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• 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

Accessible without steps or via elevator (cabin 110 × 140 cm, door 80 cm wide). An unmarked accessible parking space in the inner courtyard is available upon registration. Mobile seating; exhibits and texts are mostly visible and legible from a seated position as well.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's birthday parties with a tour and craft session (€100 plus €3 craft fee per child) as well as programs with a creative component for daycare groups, children's groups, and school classes.

Getting there & parking

Via the A 96, exit Mindelheim, toward the town center and then follow the signs to the museums.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit