Tauberfränkisches Landschaftsmuseum

About the museum

The Kurmainz Palace grew out of an early medieval royal court and was originally a castle surrounded by a moat. After Bischofsheim finally passed to the Electorate of Mainz in 1237, the Türmersturm as a keep – today the city's landmark – and the palas with its two halls above the vaulted cellar were built around 1280 under Archbishop Werner von Eppstein. The late Gothic and Renaissance added further building parts. For over 500 years the Electoral Mainz bailiffs resided here, until the palace fell to the princes of Leiningen in 1803. In 1849 the city acquired it and used it as a school until 1967.

After comprehensive renovation, the Tauberfränkisches Landschaftsmuseum opened in 1970, its furnishing shaped largely by Dr. Otto Heinrich Chrestin. The museum is still run on a voluntary basis by the association Tauberfränkische Heimatfreunde (local heritage friends), which also looks after the late medieval Limbachhaus with exhibitions on city history.

In about 20 rooms, the collection spans from Ice Age animal bones, Neolithic pottery, and Alemannic-Frankish grave finds through late Gothic wood carvings and panel paintings to bourgeois and rural furniture, folk costumes, craft tools, clocks, weapons, porcelain, and coins. One highlight is the large wooden model of the fortified town around 1750. Also on display is a copy, made in 1985, of the Carrying of the Cross from the Tauberbischofsheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald, whose original hangs in the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.

Highlights

• Gothic halls in the palas of the Kurmainz Palace
• Wooden model of the fortified town around 1750 at a scale of 1:250
• Prehistoric and early historic finds from the middle Tauber Valley
• Late Gothic wood carvings and sacred art
• Copy of the Carrying of the Cross from the Tauberbischofsheim Grünewald Altarpiece
• Folk costumes from Gaufranken as well as furniture from the Renaissance to the Biedermeier

Permanent exhibitions

• Vor- und Frühgeschichte – Four rooms with archaeological finds from the middle Tauber Valley from the Paleolithic to the Alemannic-Frankish period, complemented by fossils.
• Stadtmodell Bischofsheim um 1750 – Large wooden model of the walled two-gate town with towers, palace, mills, and half-timbered houses, plus documentation on urban development.
• Wohnkultur, Volkskunde und sakrale Kunst – Furniture from the Gothic to the Biedermeier, folk costumes, crafts and trades, as well as late Gothic sculptures and panel paintings in the historic rooms of the palace.

Founded

1970

Operated by

Tauberfränkische Heimatfreunde e.V. Tauberbischofsheim

Admission & discounts

Prices according to the regional tourist information (2026 season); the museum itself does not publish a price list.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

The palace with the distinctive Türmersturm is at the edge of the old town near the Marktplatz.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 50 guests.

The historic palace hall on the second floor is rented out by the city of Tauberbischofsheim for weddings, receptions, and lectures (currently up to 50 guests); the museum remains closed during the event.

Plan your visit