Private Groups

Would you like to celebrate our 150th anniversary with us? The Franciscan Museum in Villingen-Schwenningen is celebrating this long history and, to mark the occasion, is presenting the special exhibition “Unpacked! Treasures from the Collection." What amazing things are there to see? A “Hercules” motorcycle from the immediate postwar period, an 18th-century choir robe clasp, an Indian goddess, a Bronze Age eyelet spearhead, and much more. These items, which are not usually on display, have not only been unpacked and put on display but have also been the subject of new research. Exciting stories await you—stories you can discover on your own, with a guided tour, or using the free audio guide.

The burial chamber from Magdalenenberg is the only original example on display in a museum. With a floor area of 6 by 8 meters, it is the largest wooden structure ever discovered from the Hallstatt period and comes from the largest Hallstatt-period burial mound, containing 33,000 cubic meters of earth. The guided tour recounts the incredibly fascinating story of its discovery and two excavations, in 1890 and 1970–74. The finds from the central grave and the secondary burials paint a picture of a culture that had no written records. The museum and burial mound are part of the state’s “Celts” cultural concept.

The founder of the Black Forest Collection, Oskar Spiegelhalder (1864–1925), was a watchmaker in Lenzkirch. He was the first to collect folkloric objects from the Black Forest and amassed three similarly organized collections, which he subsequently sold—at a profit. The entire collection can still be viewed today at the Franziskanermuseum. In addition, the museum offers interesting insights into the collector’s personality and motivations through his estate. On display are glassware, furniture, straw crafts, clocks, and the most extensive collection of sign painting. Walk-through living rooms round out the tour.

The guided tour through the city’s history highlights the tapestries from the Clarisse Convent and the so-called “Minnetruhe” (courtly love chest) from around 1500 as treasures of the collection. Medieval Villingen—with its fortifications, churches, and monasteries, as well as its “sea” of townhouses—is examined through paintings. Everyday life—with work, meals, and games—is set against the backdrop of times of war and hardship. We encounter the “honorable idlers” as well as a leatherworker from before 1200 who both made shoes and tanned the leather himself. Finds from medieval archaeology bring this era vividly to life.

The standardization of weights and measures, as well as currency, ushered in the modern era during the Napoleonic period. Rapid technological development in the second half of the 19th century gave rise to new forms of mobility, such as the Black Forest Railway. The results were economic growth, population growth, as well as increased tourism and a return to traditions such as the Fastnacht customs. The city’s industrial development is evidenced by the large SABA collection of radios and televisions, as well as the permanent exhibition of Kienzle office machines. Figures from sports and politics continue the heroic narratives of the past in a modern context.

A major highlight of the annual calendar in Villingen is Carnival. The tradition, which was revived around the turn of the century, takes place primarily in the streets. First-time visitors will need a brief introduction beforehand to identify the various characters of the Historic Villingen Narrozunft: Narro and Alt-Villingerin, Stachi and Morbili, Butzesel and Wuescht. Connoisseurs will particularly enjoy the wall displaying the oldest masks by prominent local woodcarvers, such as members of the Schupp family, Dominikus Ackermann, and Richard Neukum. Other Carnival clubs round out the picture.

This guided tour focuses on the highlights of the two sections dedicated to the city’s history: the precious tapestries (antependia) from the medieval Poor Clares convent, the “Minnetruhe” (minnetrune), the instruments of torture, Hans Kraut’s ceramics, as well as companies that have shaped the city’s identity, such as SABA and Kienzle, and topics like Carnival and tourism. Visitors will gain an overview of the city’s history from its founding to the present day.

This guided tour focuses on the highlights of the Magdalenenberg Celtic Princes’ Tomb and Black Forest Collection sections: the largest Hallstatt-period burial chamber in Central Europe and the amber necklace, the Dragofibula, and the Iberian belt buckle from the secondary burials on the one hand, and glassware and straw weaving, furniture and living rooms, clocks, and shield painting from the Black Forest on the other. Prehistory, early history, and folklore of the region are combined in this tour through the Waisenhaus.

Visiting Central Europe’s largest Hallstatt-period burial mound in its natural setting is a special and impressive experience. On site, the following topics are covered: the Hallstatt period, the history of research, prospecting, secondary burials, scientific methods in archaeology, and mound construction. From the Magdalenenberg, you have a magnificent panoramic view of the city and, on days when the Fön wind blows, of the Alps. The surrounding nature reserve still features vegetation similar to that found around 616 B.C.