Battenberg (Eder) City Museum

In the 18th century, numerous stately homes were built in and around Battenberg in connection with the hunting parties of the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt. The influence these princely rulers exerted on the town and its population is the subject of the hunting history exhibition, which also features the antlers of the famous Battenberg stag from 1767 (a copy). This magnificent animal was once captured by Landgrave Ludwig VIII and released near Darmstadt.

An ancestral gallery displays portraits of landgraves and landgravines of the Hessian-Darmstadt line. Prince Alexander is of particular importance to Battenberg, as his wife, Julie von Haucke, was given the title "Princess of Battenberg" in 1851 to make the marriage socially acceptable. A slide show tells the story of the couple's exciting love story and the rise of the Battenberg family into European royal houses. One example is the English branch of the Battenberg family, Mountbatten-Windsor, represented by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

A special attraction is the section on the motorcycle races at the Battenberger Ring. These races took place between 1950 and 1956 and were attended by up to 40.000 guests each time.

A separate exhibition area is dedicated to mining in the region (with a focus on manganese ore), which was also of importance to the Landgraves. This exhibition area is directly connected to the Burgbergstollen visitor mine, which is a five-minute walk from the market square. The 150-year-old tunnels and shafts in the visitor mine illustrate the working conditions of the miners underground (guided tours only).

As a visitor, you can use free audio guides that will guide you individually through the museum.

Guided tours are also possible outside of regular opening hours.