Das Aischgründer Karpfenmuseum

Description

In the northern part of the old town of Neustadt an der Aisch, the museums are housed in the Altes Schloss; they bring several thematically distinct institutions together under one roof. Among those located in the Altes Schloss are the Aischgründer Karpfenmuseum, the Markgrafenmuseum and the KinderSpielWelten, as well as a publicly accessible open-storage depot.

The museums’ work has its origins in a local history museum opened in 1960, which displayed archaeological finds, minerals and exhibits on school, church, agriculture, crafts and domestic life in rooms of the Altes Schloss. After necessary renovations of the castle and a marked decline in visitor numbers toward the end of the 1990s, the concept was fundamentally revised. The local history permanent exhibition was not re-established in its original form; instead three specialized museums and an open-storage depot were created.

The Aischgründer Karpfenmuseum, opened on 22 May 2008, is dedicated to the more than 1,250-year history of the cultural landscape of the middle Aisch valley. The water-rich area on the southern edge of the Steigerwald is characterized as a pond landscape: well over 5,000 ponds with a total area of around 3,500 hectares are used for breeding the Aischgründer Spiegelkarpfen. Numerous objects and multimedia stations explain pond management, the work of the pond keepers, flora and fauna, carp breeding and ecological relationships. One section presents aspects of the regional cuisine; customs and artistic connections are also addressed. A large aquarium displays live carp.

The Markgrafenmuseum examines regional history under the margraves of the House of Hohenzollern and the development of the town of Neustadt an der Aisch from market to urban centre. The exhibition traces the rise of the Hohenzollerns from burgraves of Nuremberg to margraves, electors and kings and the emergence of the Franconian lines Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach-Bayreuth. A dedicated section provides information on the Feldgeschworenen and the traditional honorary office of the Siebener.

The KinderSpielWelten in the gatehouse present historic dolls, dollhouses, toy kitchens and toy shops and offer insights into the play habits of bygone times. Since 2020 the Schaudepot has made parts of the original local history collection publicly accessible again and also provides insights into the behind-the-scenes work of a museum.