Stadtmuseum Bad Tölz

In the centre of Bad Tölz’s Old Town, the Stadtmuseum Bad Tölz is housed in the Heimat- und Bürgerhaus on Marktstraße; the exhibition tells the town and regional history across more than 800 square metres.

The building originates from the reworking of a formerly two-part Bürgerbräu property and acquired its representative appearance as the new town hall in 1903/1904 through the design and execution of Gabriel von Seidl. The four-storey house was given a double gable, roof turrets and a clock and moon dial on the market-facing side; the ten-bay façade is articulated with pilasters, bay windows and balconies and decorated with frescoes. The city administration used the building until 1979, and earlier it accommodated the fire brigade and town police; it was later converted into the Heimat- und Bürgerhaus. The building is listed and is recorded in the register of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation under file number D-1-73-112-217.

The collection was founded by members of the Historischer Verein and opened in 1886. Since 1930/31 the museum has been under the sponsorship of the city. In 1982 the museum moved from Schlossplatz into the former Bürgerbräu building on Marktstraße. Between 2009 and 2021 the permanent exhibition was gradually reconceived to bring out specific Tölz topics and to situate the history of Tölz and the Isarwinkel in Bavarian, German and international contexts.

Because of the small-scale room layout, the permanent exhibition is spread over three floors with 38 themed rooms. On the first floor exhibits illuminate the geological history and early settlement of the Tölz region as well as water management, timber rafting, lime burning, forestry and wood processing; objects such as Tölz chests, metal, glass and pottery wares, large clocks and apothecary and shop fittings point to trade and crafts at the crossroads of historic trade routes; the town’s brewing history is also addressed. The second floor contains the historic council chamber by Gabriel von Seidl and presents the nobility and the bourgeoisie, a painting gallery, clothing, musical instruments and the more than 100-year history of the Tölz Marionette Theatre; further chapters cover the lords of Tölz, the castle, hunting, and school and education. Text and image panels with media stations guide visitors through the city history of the 19th and 20th centuries. As a special object the museum displays a golden gala porte-chaise from the first half of the 18th century, made for the Toerring-Seefeld family; it was shown as early as 1887, later forgotten, rediscovered in an attic in 2016, restored and exhibited in 2019 at the Bavarian State Exhibition in Regensburg. On the third floor rooms are devoted to popular belief, traditions, festivals and leisure; on display are, among other things, a domestic chapel, sacred sculptures, reverse glass paintings, a nativity exhibition, a cabinet of art and wonders and a chest wagon for the Leonhard procession from the 18th century. Uniforms, traditional costumes and their care, literary testimonies of the Isarwinkel (with audio stations) and a room dedicated to Gabriel von Seidl complete the offering; at the end of the tour regional sports and products of the former Pionier folding-boat yard are presented. The ground floor provides space for rotating special exhibitions.