State museum for Transylvania at Schloss Horneck in Gundelsheim: art, everyday culture, and history of the Transylvanian Saxons.
July 11, 2026 – February 28, 2027
Paintings, watercolors, and prints from the museum's own collection show how artists from landlocked Transylvania depicted the Adriatic, the Black Sea, and later vacation coastlines – from the late 19th century to the present.
March 22, 2026 – January 17, 2027
This cabinet exhibition presents drawings and prints from the estate of the Kronstadt (Brașov) artist; the selection changes during the run.
March 14, 2027 – August 29, 2027
The exhibition is devoted to embroidered wall hangings and house mottos that have adorned Transylvanian parlors since the Biedermeier period.
The museum grew out of an initiative by Transylvanian Saxon associations that had reorganized in West Germany after the war and emigration. In the 1960s they first showed an exhibition at Schloss Horneck in Gundelsheim on the Neckar, based on a folk culture collection begun by Lore Connerth-Seraphin. In 1968 this became a museum open to the public; since 1973 it has been run by its own supporting association, whose members include the main associations of the Transylvanian Saxons and later also the town of Gundelsheim.
Schloss Horneck itself has a long history: the castle passed to the Teutonic Order in the 13th century, was rebuilt as a Renaissance palace after being destroyed in the Peasants' War, and was remodeled in Baroque style in the 18th century. It later served as barracks, a sanatorium, a military hospital, and from 1960 to 2015 as a retirement and nursing home for Transylvanian Saxons. Today, in addition to the museum, it houses the Siebenbürgen-Institut (Transylvania Institute) with its library.
In 1991, with federal funding, the museum was granted the status of a state museum for Transylvania and systematically expanded its collections – adding technology and crafts, urban and rural everyday culture, and church history. The permanent exhibition was reorganized thematically in 1996/97 and has been gradually renewed since. The exhibition space has been expanding since 2021: a painting gallery opened on the upper floor in 2023, and a treasury with goldsmiths' work and historical textiles in 2024.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Including people with a severe disability ID and visitors with a same-day bwtarif ticket, D-Ticket JugendBW, or Deutschland-Ticket (bwegtPlus) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 5 · Children up to and including age 5 free |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3companion free · Reduced with severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis); companion free with “B” marker |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personPer person for groups of 10 or more; school classes €1 per person, preschool groups free (3 chaperones free in each case). Guided tour fee €60 (max. 25 people); for school classes/preschool groups €1 per person. |
Free admission with the Museums-PASS-Musées (also available on site).
First floor accessible; the upper floor (painting gallery, special exhibitions) can be reached via two elevators in the stairwell. Assistance dogs with ID welcome. Guided tours for people with disabilities on request; website information in Easy German (Leichte Sprache).
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
Dedicated educational programs for children, teenagers, and families, as well as programs for kindergartens and schools. Children up to age 5 have free admission.
Gundelsheim Stadtmitte · 9-min walk
By train to Gundelsheim (Neckar) station or by bus to the Gundelsheim Stadtmitte stop, then about a 9-minute walk through the old town up to Schloss Horneck.
Parking available
Car and bus parking right near the museum.
By car via the A 6 (exit Heilbronn/Neckarsulm) and the B 27 toward Mosbach.
Get directionsFor cafés and restaurants, the museum refers visitors to the dining options in Gundelsheim.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public guided tours of special exhibitions and topics of the permanent exhibition without registration (dates in the calendar). Group tours for 10 or more people must be booked at least two weeks in advance (tel. +49 6269 42230, bildung@siebenbuergisches-museum.de). Media stations in the permanent exhibition. |
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