This is how to make history fun!

“We do not have Cranach or Nefertiti. We do have a couple of original cabinets and some beautiful frescoes, but it is the building itself that is the star!” says Kai Lehmann, the museum director at Wilhelmsburg Castle. The castle is just a few minutes on foot from what is probably the most attractive half-timbered town in Thuringia, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a jewel among Germany’s Renaissance castles. The reason for this is that the 60 x 50 metre four-winged complex, which was built in just five years as a secondary residence for the landgraves of Hesse, soon fell into an enchanted sleep. “Pure luck!” says the Schmalkalden-born Lehmann, “because this meant that the building escaped the usual so-called improvements from Baroque to Rococo to Historicism.” Therefore, there are no added walls or overbuilding, and the castle has suffered no major fires, raids and war damage. Everything is almost completely preserved in the original form. “There is nothing like this anywhere in the German-speaking countries. A real USP!”

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View of Wilhelmsburg Castle, ©Jens Hauspurg

The white exterior and red ashlar corners make an impression, while mannerist doors, windows and wall paintings as well as stucco and sculptures of a high artistic quality await visitors on the inside. Pure Renaissance! On the first floor, visitors stroll from room to room over creaking wooden floors. On the way, they pass a couple of original pieces of furniture and the exhibition “Urknall Luther?” (Big Bang Luther?), which examines the 18 Bible translations before Luther and highlights why the 19th was just as groundbreaking. Aha! “Wow”moments are also guaranteed in the three-storey castle chapel, an elegant and magnificent space with two special features. This is the oldest preserved architectural realisation of the Protestant creed with an axial arrangement of the altar, pulpit and organ. The instrument, which dates back to 1590, is considered to be one of the four oldest playable wooden organs in the world. “The listening experience is incredible!” raves Lehmann. And it does not only play church music! At the “SynthPhonischen Orgelshow” (SynthPhonic Organ Show), the audience heard pieces by Metallica and Karat as well as soundtracks ranging from “Game of Thrones” to “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

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Organ in the castle church, ©Dominik Ketz

Award-winning history clips

There is also a lot to look at outside the events: the rich stucco work in the White Hall, the preparations for the “1150 Jahre Schmalkalden” (1150 Years of Schmalkalden) exhibition that was planned in 2024 or the guards posted outside the Giant Hall. These suggested that only the rulers were admitted here. Further information is naturally provided by guided tours – or audio guides. Cool for kids: when a digital pen is tapped on the code points in the rooms, relevant anecdotes are heard from the speaker or headphones. There is a choice between a children’s version spoken by eighth graders and an English-language version designed by high-school graduates. Initiative and experimentation are present on many levels – that is the strength of Lehmann and his team.

His daughter Charlotte was also involved. With her, Lehmann, who has a doctorate in history, filmed YouTube clips during lockdown. The short films about the castle and court society in the 16th and 17th centuries became a hit. There were more than 100 episodes, generating more than 100,000 clicks and earning the Thuringian Tourism Award 2021 in the “Digital Solutions in Tourism” category.

Multi-media presentation and touching encouraged!

Visitors can also can also make videos on their smartphones. The first comprehensive WiFi network in a Thuringian castle and QR codes displayed all over the place make it possible. The new exhibition is going one better, with elaborately produced short films featuring the actor Horwitz. Visitors to the permanent exhibition about the Schmalkaldic League, which opened in 2017 on the ground floor, can also experience such film elements. Here, Lea Draeger has assumed the role of Duchess Elisabeth of Rochlitz, the only female member of the League, which extended from Riga to Strasbourg. On extra-large screens, she serves as a visual audio guide and takes you through the 600 m2 hall, which acts as a huge model of the town thanks to the environment of narrow streets and half-timbered buildings. Storytelling at its finest! The story of the League founded in 1530/31 is captivating in any case. Lehmann says that this was not only the first time a denominational block was formed, but also the start of the religious schism in Europe. “Without the League, there would probably be no Luther and no Reformation; after all, it was the political and later also military arm of the Reformation.”

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Permanent exhibition on the Schmalkaldic League, ©Dominik Ketz

The visitors immediately want to know more! This is partly because the texts are concise and presented in an unconventional way: sometimes on drums (about the war), sometimes on pillows behind a curtain (about bigamy, an important issue in the war) or on little panels that can be pushed back and forth. This makes it really easy to grasp the difference between the old faith and the new. “Small haptic elements that have a big impact,” says Lehmann. Touching is generally encouraged everywhere in the exhibition.

Secret messages, overt enthusiasm

The visitors’ books is brimming over with enthusiasm: “The video guide is awesome”, “very informative”, “best exhibition I have ever seen”. A 10 year old writes: “If history were taught like this at school, it would be really fun.” Probably an allusion to the child-friendly extra videos, the children’s challenge questions, and the possibility of composing messages to their parents in a secret code ...

The best thing is that it has all been corroborated by scholars. And interested parties can go into more depth at any time by opening up text panels at the house scenes or examining historical documents. Lehmann is particularly proud of two things: “My contribution to the study of the history of the Reformation: these documents prove nothing less than that even the powerful Cologne wanted to join the alliance ...” The intrigues of the princes, landgraves, emperor and churches are one thing, but the focus is just as much on aspects of everyday life. What did people eat, what did they give as presents, how did they love? Answers to these questions are provided by a kind of diary and financial record kept by Mr Glaser, who worked as a an executioner in the 17th century. It is not only Lehmann who refers to his chance find as a “source that has no equal in Central Europe”.

Header picture: ©Dominik Ketz