Tobias-Mayer-Museum

About the museum

Tobias Mayer was born in 1723 in the house at Torgasse 13 in Marbach; his father worked on the first floor as a wheelwright and well builder before the family moved to Esslingen. The later cartographer, mathematician and astronomer taught at Göttingen and headed the observatory there. In the birthplace, Marbach resident Erwin Roth set up the first museum in 1988, which reopened in renewed form in 1997.

The museum is run by the Tobias Mayer Verein, founded in 1981, whose members operate the house as volunteers. When the small room in the birthplace was no longer sufficient, the association bought the neighboring house on the Göckelhof in 2012; it was torn down in 2015/16 and replaced with a new museum building. The expanded museum opened on October 6, 2018: since then, one room in the birthplace and three floors in the new building have been devoted to Mayer's life and work.

The permanent exhibition includes, among other things, an engraver's workstation, moon globes and depictions of the Moon, astronomical measuring instruments, a planetary model and a presentation of his calculations for the longitude prize. The museum cellar with the monthly museum café and private events is in the basement; the house belongs to the Museumsquartier Altstadt Marbach (museum quarter).

Highlights

• Tobias Mayer's birthplace (1723)
• Workstation of an engraver
• Moon globes and projection of the lunar surface
• Planetary model (tellurium) and model of the Göttingen Observatory
• Hands-on distance measurement with a sextant

Permanent exhibitions

• Leben und Wirken Tobias Mayers (Erdgeschoss Neubau) – Main part of the permanent exhibition with the engraver's workstation, display cases on the Mathematical Atlas, the Fortification Book and maps, and distance measurement with a sextant.
• Astronomie und Längenpreis (Obergeschoss Neubau) – Moon globes, measuring instruments, a planetary model and the model of the Göttingen Observatory show Mayer's work as an astronomer and his application for the longitude prize.
• Geburtshaus – Stations on Mayer's life with film clips, his sonnet, a letter from his granddaughter and the family tree.

Founded

1988

Operated by

Tobias Mayer Verein e.V.

Admission & discounts

On Thursdays it is Grandparents' Day: grandparents who come with their grandchildren pay half the admission price. Only cash payment is possible at the museum.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• 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

On the first floor of the birthplace there is the step-free entrance and an accessible toilet.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Thursdays are Grandparents' Day, with half admission for grandparents who come with grandchildren; tours for kindergartens and schools on request. With a sextant, you can measure distances as in Mayer's time.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 81 to the Pleidelsheim interchange, then via the L 1125 to Murr and the L 1100 to Marbach.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Museum café in the museum cellar every last Sunday of the month; museum shop and cloakroom in the entrance area.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 24 guests.

The museum cellar has room for about 18 people at three round tables (cinema-style seating possible for lectures); the flat usage fee is €110 for about 3 hours, ending around 22:00. Weddings are possible in the historic room of the birthplace (up to 14 people) or in the museum cellar (up to 24 people); rent is €300 plus civil registry office fees, with dates arranged through the Marbach registry office. For receptions or celebrations, the roof terrace and museum cellar are available.

Plan your visit