Living
Glauberg: German museum features statue of ancient Celtic ruler
Stars and Stripes
November 28, 2011
Location of Keltenwelten museum in Glauberg, Germany (Peter Jaeger/Stars and Stripes)
Location of Keltenwelten museum in Glauberg, Germany (Peter Jaeger/Stars and Stripes)
A statue of a Celtic ruler watches over a demonstration by Stephan Medschinski, a guide at the Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum. Medschinski was showing a replica of the original sword found inside the ruler's grave. (Peter Jaeger/Stars and Stripes)
A visitor to the Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum near Frankfurt, Germany, tries on a model of a cap that historians believe represents the leaves of mistletoe, a holy plant for the Celts. The museum opened in May. ()
The impressive Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum, which opened in May, overlooks the archaeological park where the museum's collection of Celtic relics was unearthed. ()
The archaeological park at the Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum in Germany is where the museum's Celtic statues and other relics were unearthed. ()
The head of a statue is among the items displayed at the Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum northeast of Frankfurt, Germany. ()
A decorative gold necklace found in a Celtic ruler's grave is among the items displayed at the Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum. (Peter Jaeger/Stars and Stripes)
He looks like the granddaddy of a famous cartoon rodent, so local residents call him Mickey Mouse.
In reality, he is the unique sculpture of a Celtic ruler who lived 2,500 years ago in Germany’s Glauberg region, about 25 miles northeast of Frankfurt. The discovery in 1996 of the detailed, life-sized sandstone figure in the Glauberg was a scientific sensation. Never before had such a perfect statue of a Celtic prince been uncovered.
He is now the highlight of the fascinating Keltenwelten am Glauberg museum (World of the Celts in the Glauberg). Opened in May, the archaeological museum itself is a piece of art, dominating a park that features a research center as well as sites where the museum’s relics were discovered and a hill that once served as a Celtic burial ground.
Inside, visitors can admire many spectacular Celtic cultural finds, the results of archaeological excavations in the Glauberg region, which is one of the main Celtic hubs found in Europe. Gold jewelry, iron weapons and sandstone sculptures are presented in attractive displays showing the high standards of Celtic culture. Innovative exhibitions take visitors back to the time of the Celts. Who were they? Farmers? Craftsmen and traders? Warriors? A small, but wonderful, museum tries to answer these questions in a modern, interactive way.
Open your senses, and you will be able to study unique Celtic relics from the Glauberg, and find out what still links us to their long-gone world.
jaegerp@estripes.osd.mil
DIRECTIONS
From Wiesbaden, take autobahn A3 toward Nuremberg. At exit 54 Hanau, follow the B45 and A45 toward Fulda/Hainburg. Leave A45 at exit 39 and head in the direction of Büdingen on B521. Follow the brown signs for Keltenwelten.
TIMES
The museum and the archaeological park in front of it are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Monday. Closed Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
COSTS
Adults, 5 euros; children (6-18 years), 3 euros; children under 6 admitted free. A family ticket — for two adults with children — is 10 euros.
FOOD
A cafeteria is next to the entrance inside the museum. It sells snacks, cakes and drinks as well as local products, including bread and jelly from nearby villages.
INFORMATION
Keltenwelten am Glauberg
Address: Am Glauberg 1, 63695 Glauburg
Telephone: 06041-8233 00
Website: www.keltenwelt-glauberg.de (in German).
Find a good description of the museum and its origins in English at www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net/en/node/602
Email: info@keltenwelt-Glauberg.de
Parking is free. The museum’s descriptions and texts are in German. Booklets with English translations are available to use as you explore the museum. The museum also is working on a headphone tour that will be available in English.
For guided tours in English, call 0604-18233024.