The Fichtelgebirge Museum (german: Fichtelgebirgsmuseum) is a regional museum in

Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...

, formerly the 'capital' of the Sechsämterland and the

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

(''Kreisstadt'') in the

Fichtel Mountains The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavaria ...

of central Germany. Innenhof FGM

Formerly important trades, such as those of the

whitesmith A whitesmith is a metalworker who does finishing work on iron and steel such as filing, lathing, burnishing or polishing. The term also refers to a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals, and is sometimes used as a synonym for tinsmi ...

and the

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

, were superseded during the 19th century by new industries. This generated a desire in the Fichtel Mountains region in 1907 to protect old trade skills and a museum was founded by the

Fichtelgebirge Club The Fichtelgebirge Club (german: Fichtelgebirgsverein or ''FGV'') is a large walking club and local heritage society in Bavaria and recognised conservation group with 20,000 members in 55 local groups. As the name says, its main sphere of activit ...

. Since 1964 it has been located in a wing of the Sigmund Wann Hospital (''Spital''), founded in the 15th century and which acted as a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

. In the 1980s other hospital buildings were converted and the museum attached. In 2004 the last two houses were opened. In the first new building a 'Blue Dyeworks/Blue Printers', 'Children's World/Play World' and museum warehouse accessible to the public have been created. In the second new building is the museum library and workshops and offices. In a further nine houses the museum has well over 2500 m² of exhibition area. The north wing houses the

Prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

Mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

and

Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

departments. Its centrepiece is a mineral collection of about 2000 individual rocks and crystals, that come mainly from the Fichtel Mountains, the northern

Upper Palatine Forest The Upper Palatine Forest (german: Oberpfälzer Wald or ''Böhmischer Wald'', cs, Český les) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German ...

, the

Münchberg Gneiss Massif Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Textile Town of Bavaria''. Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. Geography The town districts History The first set ...

and the

Franconian Forest View to Döbraberg The Franconian Forest''Franconian Forest''
at www.britannica.com. Acce ...

. In the south wing are the Regional and Cultural History departments. Of particular note is the collection of painted furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries from the Fichtel Mountains. There is also information about the author

Jean Paul Jean Paul (; born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, 21 March 1763 – 14 November 1825) was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories. Life and work Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Fichtelgebirge mountain ...

(1763–1825) and the political assassin

Karl Ludwig Sand Karl Ludwig Sand (Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia (then in Prussia), 5 October 1795 – Mannheim, 20 May 1820) was a German university student and member of a liberal Burschenschaft (student association). He was executed in 1820 for the murder of the c ...

(1795–1820) – both born in Wunsiedel.

Workshops

On the ground floor of the north wing are three

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

s: a smithy, a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

and a

's to give visitors an insight into these formerly important trades. The blacksmith and whitesmith offer demonstrations on request or for special events, often e.g. at the Wunsiedler Brunnenfest. In the pottery by contrast, ceramics artist, Fred Zimmermann, makes pottery ware based on historic designs every Tuesday to Friday morning. He also runs a pottery in

Höchstädt im Fichtelgebirge Höchstädt im Fichtelgebirge is a municipality in the district of Wunsiedel in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

. Beleuchtete Steine.jpg, Illuminated stones Wohnzimmer_FGM.jpg, Living room Hochzeitswagen_FGM.jpg, Wedding coach

Sources

* Oswald A. Erich: Die deutschen Museen mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Heimatmuseen. Bd. 1: Die Museen in Bayern. Berlin 1939 * Josef Maria Ritz: Das Fichtelgebirgsmuseum in Wunsiedel, in: Der Siebenstern 2 (1928), S. 1-12 * Zweckverband Fichtelgebirgsmuseum (Hrsg.): Begleitbuch zu den Abteilungen. Wunsiedel 1998 * Dietmar Herrmann: Aus der 100-jährigen Geschichte des Fichtelgebirgsmuseums; in: Der Siebensteern 2008, S. 3

Films

Documentary "Schatztruhe Spital" about the Fichtelgebirge Museum, 15 min., 3sat

External links

Home page of the Fichtelgebirge Museum, Wunsiedel

Fichtelgebirge Club

{{authority control Wunsiedel Fichtel Mountains Museums in Bavaria History museums in Germany Geology museums in Germany Natural history museums in Germany Local museums in Germany