Schaffensland – Menschen. Geschichten. Arbeit.

With the new permanent exhibition “Schaffensland”, the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage (GDKE) from August 14, 2026 opens a new perspective on Rhineland-Palatinate at the State Museum Koblenz on the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.

For the first time, an overview exhibition showcases the diversity of life and work in Rhineland-Palatinate over the past 200 years. The exhibition asks: Who has “worked” here – and under what conditions? The answers lead right into the lives of the people.

Meet women and men whose personal stories make the great historical developments tangible – from the everyday life of a farmer's wife from the Hunsrück around 1830 through the industrialization to the present.

Original objects, impressive presentations, and multimedia stations make the stories of the people who have shaped Rhineland-Palatinate experienceable. In this context, “Schaffensland” illuminates not only technical and economic change but also difficult chapters of history, such as the persecution of Jewish families during the Nazi era.

The exhibition presents Rhineland-Palatinate as a modern, diverse region with research, industry, tourism, and crafts. Visitors will gain insights into everyday life on a ferry, the work at a campsite, or the world of modern laboratories.
In the exhibition forum, people, products, and stories from Rhineland-Palatinate companies can be discovered – from Bitburger to Rastal to Pfaff. The collection continues to grow steadily.

The permanent exhibition is fully accessible in German and English.