Stiftsmuseum Aschaffenburg

Description

Located on a hill in the centre of Aschaffenburg’s old town, the Stiftsmuseum der Stadt Aschaffenburg links the collections of prehistory and early history and of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art with the historic ensemble of the collegiate church St. Peter and Alexander via a Romanesque cloister.

Since 1861 the museum has been housed in the former chapter house of the collegiate foundation. The complex, which today comprises several late-medieval building elements, was arranged around the Romanesque cloister; the oldest architectural remains date back to the 12th century. After secularisation the building served various administrative and educational purposes, including use as an archive, library and court. War-related damage after 1945 led to the removal and later return of the collections; extensive restoration work carried out up to 1994 enabled a new presentation of the rooms and collections.

The exhibition stretches from the Neolithic through the Roman period into the Middle Ages. Particularly notable are the extensive Roman finds from the Limes forts on the Lower Main, which are on display in a lapidarium, as well as significant burial finds from Alemannic and Frankish row graves of the 6th to 8th centuries. Also impressive are the historically preserved interiors of the collegiate foundation: the chapter hall of the 12th/13th centuries, the so-called Gothic Hall from the 13th century, the vestment room with a polychrome stucco ceiling dated 1723, and former Karzer (detention cell) and canons’ rooms. Decorative and original fittings dating to around 1620 can be seen in a later chapter hall.

Since November 2009 the museum has permanently displayed the collegiate treasury of St. Peter and Alexander and the Magdalene Altarpiece from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Among the outstanding objects is also the so-called “chessboard of Saint Rupert,” regarded as one of the oldest game boards in Germany.