Stadtmuseum Wasungen
Municipal museum in the former Damenstift (ladies' foundation) of 1596, with a permanent exhibition on the town, cultural, foundation and economic history of Wasungen.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The house on Untertor was built in 1596 as a noble ladies' foundation (Damenstift). The Henneberg governor Bernhard Marschalk von Ostheim had it erected on the remains of an older residential and defensive tower at the northwest corner of the town wall; parts of the former Kemenate (fortified residential hall) and of the wall were incorporated into the building. It was meant to house four impoverished noblewomen and kept this function until 1931.
Afterwards the town used the building for rented apartments. After the reunification these were vacated, and the Damenstift was given over to purely cultural use. It was restored and renovated inside in 1995/96, and the local history museum moved into the first upper floor. The core of the collection had been assembled since 1965 by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Stadtgeschichte Wasungen e. V., and it continues to grow through donations and purchases.
Alongside the permanent exhibition, the museum holds three to five special exhibitions every year and organizes lectures, readings and concerts. In 2021 a barrier-free new building was constructed in the garden of the Damenstift for the project "Emotionaler Stadtführer"; the interior was completed in 2022.
Highlights
- City model of Wasungen around 1680
- Permanent exhibition in four focal areas
- History of the Damenstift since 1596
- Economic history from crafts to industry
- Children's town tours and educational programs
Permanent exhibition
- Ständige Ausstellung des Stadtmuseums – Four focal areas: town history from its beginnings to 1990 with a city model, cultural history with associations, guilds and notable figures, the history of the Damenstift, and economic history.
- Operated by
- Stadt Wasungen
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1.50Pupils, students, people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 10 · Children up to 10 years free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €1.50People with disabilities |
| Students & apprentices | €1.50Pupils and students |
| Groups | –Guided tours only by advance registration, see additional tickets. |
| Museum tour, town tour or tour of Burg Maienluft (by advance registration) | €20Tour fee, plus €2 admission per person. |
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
A barrier-free conversion of the listed Damenstift is not structurally possible. In the garden there is a barrier-free new building (interior completed 2022) for the "Emotionaler Stadtführer".
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 10 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Museum education for kindergartens, primary and secondary schools: children's town tours, half-timbered architecture, Wasunger legends and pranks, and a children's studio with the Kunststation Oepfershausen.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Lines 407, 412, 414 and 416 stop in the town center (including Markt, Zentraler Busplatz and the train station). Wasungen train station has connections to Meiningen and Wernshausen.
The museum is at Untertor 1 in the Damenstift, in the same building as the tourist information.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Museum, town and Burg Maienluft tours only by advance registration. The museum is on the first upper floor of the Damenstift. |
