Archäologisches Museum Maifeld

The archaeological museum in Münstermaifeld invites visitors to attend its "Wealth. Power. Salvation" exhibition, where they can gain an in-depth insight into the history of the Maifeld. And the experience literally is in-depth, as the excitingly designed museum is situated in the vaulted cellars of the old priory. The historic building on the Münsterplatz is also home to the Maifeld tourist information office, where you can find tickets and further information about the museum and the Maifeld holiday region. Frankish burial ground: findings of national importance At the heart of the museum is the discovery of a Frankish burial ground in the front of Münstermaifeld collegiate church - an archaeological stroke of luck. In 2009 and 2010, specialists from the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage of Rhineland Palatinate uncovered around 550 graves here. The discovery of the graves, some of which contained a wealth of burial objects, is of national importance, and enable knowledge to be derived regarding the social structures, trading relationships and funeral customs in the Frankish age. Archaeology Adventure Visitors get to experience the Archaeology Adventure with the graves reconstructed just as they were discovered only a few meters from the museum: the displays include trowels, spades, brushes and buckets as if the archaeologists had only just left their place of work. Some of the skeletons and burial objects have been copied in accordance with the original findings and placed in the graves just as the archaeologists discovered them in front of the collegiate church. A multimedia application tells visitors to the museum the exciting archaeological story behind the dig, the recovery and the restoration work. The scale and the special nature of the findings in the Frankish burial ground in Münstermaifeld are also explained. The Frankish Age: Wealth. Power. Salvation This exhibition provides an insight into the society, life and trading relationships of the Frankish people. Some of the graves in Münstermaifeld contained valuable burial objects. Frankish men were buried with their weaponry, while the women were buried in festive costume with elaborate belt buckles and jewellery. In the archaeological museum the visitors can see many original artefacts and true-to-original replicas. These include coins, ceramics, horse harnesses, weaponry and jewellery. The Maifeld: a settled region since the stone age The archaeological museum places the Frankish age in the chronological context of the millennia in which the Maifeld has been settled by people. The remains of the skull of a Neanderthal man who was discovered in Ochtendung is 160,000 years old. The urn fields of the bronze age are presented along with the burial mounds of the Celts. The appearance of the Romans brought an economic boost to the region. Large estates - known as villae rusticae - were built, whose agricultural products were supplied to both the townsfolk and the military. The layouts of such a villa rustica in the fields near Pillig can clearly be seen to this day on aerial photographs. In the early 7th century, the Franks fought their way from the Rhine and the Mosel up to the heights of the Eifel and settled in the Maifeld.