(c) by Kirsten Kuhfeld-Kaack. All rights reserved.
Description [EN]
The water castle St. Hubertus-Heerse in the cultural site Neuenheerse lies idyllically in the midst of the Egge Hills. For around a thousand years, founded in 868, the building in various forms served as the abbey of the secular, high-noble ladies’ collegiate foundation of Heerse. The canonesses were mostly unmarried daughters from the various Westphalian noble families and lived in this religious community without taking vows until their marriage. The castle has had its present appearance since the early 17th century. The moat, which surrounds almost the entire building, is fed directly by the spring of the Nethe, which is located only a few meters from the castle grounds. After flowing through the castle moat the Nethe becomes a small river that winds its way for just over 50 kilometers through the beautiful landscape to flow into the Weser at the town of Godelheim. Since the beginning of the 19th century the castle changed hands several times. Most recently it was used by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood as a boys’ boarding school. Small toilets and washbasins in the attic still recall those times. Eventually the student body grew too large and the castle was no longer suitable for that purpose. It was sold in 1989. A couple from Dortmund, Honorary Consul General of Ghana Manfred O. Schröder and his wife Helga, were looking for a representative property to house countless valuable mementos, collections, gifts from heads of state and tribal chiefs, and works of art that the couple had collected over many years on professional and private travels around the world. After several years of costly and labor-intensive conversion and renovation work, around 10,000 exhibits were first opened to the public in 1996. The United Museums for Natural History, Hunting Culture, Ethnography, European and Asian Cultural Heritage and other topics were born. In 2007 a cultural foundation was established to take over administration. Visitors to the museum can expect a small “world tour” when walking through the exhibitions. It takes you through Africa, Australia, the South Sea islands, North and South America and into Arctic regions, where you can look a walrus and polar bear in the eye. Europe is of course also well represented. Many objects from the “good old days” tell their stories. Another section shows the development of hunting through the last centuries. To accommodate the now nearly 20,000 exhibits, an additional museum building was erected in 2016 as further exhibition space; the lower floor now houses an impressive India/Asia exhibition. In the upper floor a painting gallery was opened in early 2025, presenting works by renowned artists such as Franz von Lenbach, Emil Nolde and Carl Spitzweg for museum visitors.
Services
Families with children
jeden 1. Samstag im Monat Familien-Erlebnisführung(Ausnahmen möglich)Anmeldung erforderlich bis freitags 12.00 Uhr
Accessibility
Marking of step edges
Yes
Access stairless
No
Disabled toilet
Yes
Labeling in pictograms
No
Inscription in braille
No
Acoustically accessible exhibition objects
No
Tactile accessible exhibition objects
No
Print medium in braille inscription / large print
No
Tactile / audio tours
No
Guided tours in sign language
No
Tactile flooring system
No
Barrier-free Audioguides
No
Educational programs for visitors with learning difficulties
No