Museum Prien

Description

In the market town of Prien am Chiemsee, the heimatMuseum Prien focuses on the cultural and art history of the western Chiemgau. The museum presents regional exhibits that document everyday life, handicrafts and the artistic traditions of the surrounding area.

The museum’s founding in 1913 was driven by local commitment: after extensive collecting in neighboring communities a holdings of around 1,500 objects emerged, which was recorded in writing for the first time in 1913. Donations from the artist circle "Bären und Löwen", dissolved in 1911, provided the final impetus for the foundation. A prominent item in the initial collection was a hunting hat with a cigar and a votive medal from the possession of the Bavarian princess family, which drew public interest. Initially the holdings were displayed in rooms of the 1877 schoolhouse; the formal transfer to the municipality took place in July 1913, and shortly afterwards the rooms were opened to visitors.

In the following decades there were repeated relocations and shortages: political use of buildings and storage in barns and private houses forced the collection to be moved several times. From 1938 a residential property dating from 1837 was prepared as a new museum house for the historical collection; numerous original wooden floors and fitted elements remain to this day. World War II and its aftermath brought further restrictions, temporary confiscations and use as accommodation for displaced persons. After the war there were renewed openings, a comprehensive, preservation-sensitive renovation and an expansion to 18 rooms in the 1960s; visitor numbers rose significantly in the 1970s and 1980s.

A permanent focus of the museum is the gallery of Chiemsee painters. The starting point was the desire to present regional painting systematically; initially 16 paintings from the "Bären und Löwen" circle formed the core of the collection. Artists represented include, among others, Hugo Kauffmann, Hermann Kauffmann, Julius Frank, Carl Roux, Felix Schlesinger, Julius Noerr, Wilhelm Marc and Heinrich Heidner. As early as August 1945 one of the first free art exhibitions after the war took place in Prien. Due to lack of space, the paintings were temporarily moved in 1985 to the gallery in the Old Town Hall; today they are housed in the annex of the historic museum, arranged with a regional focus and separated from a more broadly based town-hall gallery. The newly reorganized painting collection spans from around 1800 to the present.