Historisches Museum Prestegg

About the museum

The Prestegg in the centre of Altstätten was originally a medieval town house. Later the Rhine Valley reformer Vogler lived here, after which the property belonged to the important textile merchant family Custer; at times it also served as a brewery and inn. The building has been a listed monument since 1972.

For more than 125 years the museum has collected, researched and displayed the history of the region, giving it one of the oldest museum collections in the Rhine Valley. Since its reopening in 2021 the modernised house has been positioned as a "centre for history and culture" and shares the building with the Diogenes Theater.

The Baroque Hall of the Gods (Göttersaal) in the south wing, with its dome painting of 1798, is the showpiece of the house; civil weddings of the Rheintal registry office also take place here. Since 2024 a permanent exhibition has been taking shape step by step, taking up themes from everyday life in the Rhine Valley in small stages. In addition, the museum presents semi-permanent and changing exhibitions as well as guided tours of Altstätten.

Highlights

• Listed medieval old-town house
• Hall of the Gods with a Baroque dome painting of 1798
• Regional history of the St. Gallen Rhine Valley
• Permanent exhibition on everyday life in the Rhine Valley under construction
• Museum café and garden courtyard
• Children's programmes and Town Detectives

Permanent exhibition

• Dauerausstellung zum Rheintaler Alltag (im Aufbau) – Since 2024 individual sections on themes of life in the Rhine Valley have been created step by step; the curator sets them up in small stages.

Operated by

Museumsverein Prestegg

Admission & discounts

Admission includes the special exhibition. Free admission for members of the museum association, holders of the Swiss Museum Pass, Raiffeisen MemberPlus members, ICOM/VMS members, media representatives with a press card, and teachers preparing lessons or accompanying school classes.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum is wheelchair accessible, except for the small and large vaulted cellars and the Coat of Arms Hall. Wheelchair-accessible toilet on the 1st floor of the north wing; public disabled parking at the Gemüsemarkt and on the Breite. Information in Easy Read language as well as a communication board and menu with METACOM symbols (augmentative and alternative communication).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Families, young visitors and school classes are expressly welcome. Children's birthday parties (programmes for ages 4–7 and 5–12, approx. 60–90 min., from CHF 170) and the "Town Detectives" tour for primary-school-age children (approx. 75 min.).

Getting there & parking

The museum is a few minutes' walk from both stops.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Museum café with drinks, homemade cake and ice cream, also accessible without a museum visit; breakfast at the museum once a month.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Aperitifs and celebrations in the rooms, with access to the garden via the coach house in fine weather (book at least three weeks in advance). Hall of the Gods as the wedding room of the Rheintal registry office with seating for 35 guests.

Plan your visit