PERMANENT EXHIBITION CITY MUSEUM
ROMAN PERIOD
Some finds from the time when the Front Limes (part of the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes) met the Main near Miltenberg and became the "wet Limes" are exhibited in the Roman section. Between about 165 and 260 AD, military units and civilians in their entourage settled in what is now Miltenberg. The excavated old town fort and the finds on display in the museum bear witness to the everyday life of the Romans.
More information about Roman times, the Limes and individual objects can be found on the Main Limes Museums website. We also recommend the LIMES mobile app, available for Android and iOS.
ORIGIN OF MILTENBERG
1237 Miltenberg is mentioned for the first time. The electoral Mainz city, located on an important trade route, experienced a rapid upswing. The economic heyday of the Mainz city in the 14th and 15th centuries is shown in some rooms.
Viticulture, stone extraction and processing, as well as wood and charcoal trade determined economic life in Miltenberg for centuries. Gold coins were even allowed to be minted in the city for a time, and in 1367 the trade fair privilege was granted. At the end of the 14th century, Miltenberg was the town with the highest taxes in the Main Abbey.
BELIEF
The Judaica exhibition offers some special and rare exhibits. In addition to an extremely rare Omer calendar from the 19th century, the medieval Torah gable from the old synagogue in Miltenberg can also be seen.
There is evidence of a Jewish community in Miltenberg as early as the end of the 13th century. More information on the history of the Jewish community in Miltenberg can be found on the Alemannia Judaica website and on the DenkOrt Deportations website.
Although Miltenberg quickly grew to become the largest town in the Mainviereck after it was founded in the 13th century, it did not have its own parish for a long time, but belonged to the mother parish of the older neighboring town of Bürgstadt. Only in 1522 was Miltenberg separated from Bürgstadt and given its own parish.
One focus of the permanent exhibition is religious folklore with a significant proportion of reverse glass paintings, monastery works and devotional items.
ON EVERYDAY LIFE
Large study collections of glass and ceramics mark the transition to the "Everyday Life" exhibition area. Among other things, a reconstructed black kitchen and the washing area impressively convey the historical everyday life in the city of Miltenberg.
Extensive collections came with the expansion of the museum in 2006: Roland Schildhauer donated his toy collection with steam engines, trains and construction sets, which he had assembled over decades, to the museum as a foundation. The Lang couple donated an extensive arsenal of important hunting weapons with the corresponding accessories and rare self-firing devices.
PARTNER CITIES
Two rooms are dedicated to the Miltenberg godfather town of Dux (Duchcov) in Bohemia. The small town lies between Prague and Dresden, south of the Ore Mountains. Coal mining and the porcelain industry shaped the city until the Second World War.
In 1864, Eduard Eichler founded a porcelain manufactory that specialized primarily in figurines and vases. After the war, the Heimatkreis Dux painstakingly bought the production pattern shown in the museum from the antiques trade. The home district was founded from the annual home meetings of the former districts of Dux, Bilin and Teplitz. A famous duxer was Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-1798). He spent the last years of his life in Dux as librarian to Count Waldstein.
BAVARIAN TIME
In 1816, after several territorial changes, Miltenberg passed to Bavaria. As a result, the city lost the historical and economic ties that had grown in the area around Mainz.
This drastic time is processed using a Landwehr band and the collection of historical musical instruments. The Miltenbergers first had to get used to being Bavarian. A "brass music decree" by Ludwig I in 1826 was intended to remedy this: Landwehr bands were founded in the district towns. At that time they mainly played so-called "Turkish music" with many percussion instruments. This is evidenced by the rare instruments on display, such as a "large Turkish drum", cinella and an ophicleide. Only later were more brass instruments integrated.
PAINTING GALLERY
Works by Miltenberg artists such as Rudolf Hirth du Frênes (1846-1916), member of the Leibl Circle, and paintings with Miltenberg motifs are exhibited in the picture gallery. A separate room is dedicated to the city's most famous son, Philipp Wirth (1808-1878). The painter temporarily lived in the former official winery, which is now the museum building.