Stadtmuseum Herzogenaurach
The history of Herzogenaurach in the half-timbered hospital of 1508 – from cloth makers and guilds to the sports shoe industry of adidas and Puma.
About the museum
In 1908 the Historischer Verein opened a first museum in the city tower with craft tools and folk-life items. During World War II large parts of the collection were lost to looting. From 1969 the Heimatverein rebuilt the holdings on a voluntary basis in the former Amtsschloss.
Since autumn 2000 the municipal museum has been housed in the former Hospital of the Holy Spirit on Kirchenplatz. The institution goes back to a foundation established in 1508 by the master dyer Conrad Reyter, which cared for elderly and frail citizens. The late medieval half-timbered house with a vaulted cellar is considered a monument of national significance and was restored in keeping with its landmark status for museum use.
On three floors the permanent exhibition tells the roughly thousand-year history of the town: the life of the farmer-townspeople under the rule of the bishop, hospital life, guilds, and the cloth-making trade that shaped the town for centuries, as well as its rise to a center of the sports shoe and roller bearing industries. In the former granary loft you can see sacred art, evidence of folk piety, and works by the sculptor Maria Lerch. Two areas are available for changing exhibitions.
Highlights
- Half-timbered hospital of 1508 as the museum building
- Original shoes from Herzogenaurach's sporting goods makers adidas and Puma
- Cloth makers' tools and guild antiquities
- Staged arrival of a hospital resident (Pfründnerin) at the hospital
- Re-created studio of the sculptor Maria Lerch
Permanent exhibitions
- Ackerbürger und Landesherrn – Everyday life in a small town ruled by a bishop, municipal self-government, and the history of the hospital, staged with the arrival of a hospital resident.
- Handwerk und Industrie – From guilds and cloth makers through industrialization to the sports shoe production of adidas and Puma.
- Kirche, Kunst und Frömmigkeit – Sacred paintings and sculptures, works by Michael Störcher and Maria Lerch, and evidence of folk belief in the former granary loft.
- Founded
- 1908
- Operated by
- Stadt Herzogenaurach
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1.50Students, people with disabilities, and unemployed people (with ID) |
| Children & teens | €1free up to age 6 · Children under 7 free, ages 7 to 13 €1, teenagers €1.50. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €1.50 |
| Students & apprentices | €1.50 |
| Groups | –Tour fee €25 (groups of up to 25 people) plus admission. School classes: admission and tour free. |
| Families | €4.50 |
Open tours without registration at the regular admission price.
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 6 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €4.50 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Digital scavenger hunt with the alien AlbiX2 via smartphone app; bookable children's tours (museum tour with AlbiX2, animal tour, museum rally with the mascot Herzo Herbert) and city history workshops, for example on dyers, cobblers, or writing with quill and ink.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
VGN bus lines 200 and 201 from Erlangen (ICE station), 204 from Höchstadt a. d. Aisch, and 123 from Siegelsdorf station.
By car
Paid parking
Downtown parking lots within a few minutes' walk, including P4 Rathaus and P5 Vereinshaus (entrance Hintere Gasse) as well as the large lot P1 (Bahnhofstraße/An der Schütt); the first 30 minutes are free at each. Free: parking lot P3 Steinerne Brücke. RV parking at the Atlantis leisure pool.
By car via the A3, exit Frauenaurach/Herzogenaurach, then about 4.5 km to the center.
Get directionsAmenities & 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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Open tours of the building and special exhibitions without registration; group tours with a requested focus on request. For schools, curriculum-oriented tours, workshops, student projects, and a museum suitcase on the contemporary history of the 1950s. Digital scavenger hunts with the free app Actionbound. |
