Stiftsmuseum Treis-Karden

About the museum

The Karden Stiftsmuseum is housed in a building dating from 1238, which belongs to the precinct of the St. Castor collegiate foundation. It originally served as a tithe barn, where the payments in kind that the foundation received from its parishes were stored. Striking are the windows on the upper floor, where arcades with trefoil and round arches alternate; their coloured finish was reconstructed to match the original state.

Karden was for a long time a spiritual centre in the Archdiocese of Trier. Already in the Celtic period, the Treveri worshipped their chief god Lenus on the nearby Martberg, and later the Romans built an extensive temple precinct there, to which pilgrims came seeking healing. At the present site lay the Roman street village of Cardena with a large potters' district, where votive offerings for the god were made. Finds from these periods form the Celtic-Roman section of the museum.

In the 4th century, St. Castor worked here and made Karden a place of pilgrimage. From the late 9th century the town was the seat of one of the archdiocese's five administrative districts, and the collegiate foundation existed for almost a thousand years until Napoleon dissolved it in 1802. A separate section is devoted to this foundation history. In the solemn sacred room on the third floor, liturgical vestments and vessels as well as medieval manuscripts and church art from the foundation's surroundings are on display.

Highlights

• Finds from the Celtic-Roman sanctuary on the Martberg
• Late Romanesque tithe barn from 1238 with coloured upper-floor windows
• History of the almost thousand-year-old St. Castor collegiate foundation
• Sacred room with liturgical vestments and medieval manuscripts

Permanent exhibitions

• Keltisch-römische Abteilung – Finds from the Celtic-Roman temple precinct on the Martberg and from the Roman potters' district of Cardena, including votive offerings, coins, weapons and jewellery.
• Das Kollegiatstift St. Castor – Documents and objects on the almost thousand-year history of the foundation and on Karden's importance as a place of pilgrimage and administrative seat of the Archdiocese of Trier.
• Sakrale Kunst in Karden – The sacred room on the third floor displays liturgical vestments and vessels as well as valuable medieval manuscripts from the foundation's surroundings.

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

The museum is not accessible.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 48 (Kaifenheim exit) to Treis-Karden, or via the B 49 from Koblenz. The museum is in the Karden foundation precinct, next to the St. Castor collegiate church.

Amenities & 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