The section on the city’s history up to 1800 traces the eventful history of the more than 1,000-year-old city of Villingen and tells of life and death, work and daily life, and of artists and warriors under the protection of the city walls.
Among the most significant exhibits are late-medieval tapestries from St. Ursula’s Abbey and a “courtly love chest” featuring erotic motifs.
Villingens’ origins as a settlement founded by the Zähringer family are still evident today in the city’s distinctive skyline, with its four former gate towers.
People were aware of the historical heritage of the old imperial city from an early stage: the collections of the Municipal Antiquities Collection, founded in 1876, form the heart of the city history department.
