Cusanus birthplace

The world-famous philosopher, mystic, natural scientist and cardinal Nikolaus of Kues was born in 1401 in the present museum. His birthplace contains the permanent exhibition "Nikolaus von Kues, 1401 - 1464, - Leben und Werk im Bild" ("Nicholas of Kues, 1401 - 1464, - Life and Work in Pictures"), a documentation by Dr. Helmut Gestrich in cooperation with the Landesbildstelle Rheinland-Pfalz and the Cusanus-Gesellschaft Bernkastel-Kues. The exhibition informs about the origin of Nicholas of Cues, his studies and education and his public activities, as well as about his St. Nicholas Hospital as a visible and his writings as a spiritual heritage. The presentation of his life stations as well as his great legation journey 1451/52 by Professor Erich Meuthen, the Globusspiel, the foundation deed of the hospital and numerous facsimile writings complete the documentation.

In this house he completed his main philosophical work "De docta ignorantia" on 12 February 1440, a work that stands like a landmark between the Middle Ages and modern times. It replaced medieval theology and its geocentric view of the world with a new interpretation of world construction. This even went beyond Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler and proved to be true even in the light of modern astrophysics of Albert Einstein.
The rooms of the birth house serve the cultural life of our time: art exhibitions, religious talks, lectures, music and also celebrations from different occasions take place here.