The Gäubodenmuseum- 7000 years of History in Straubing, Germany

The Gäubodenmuseum is an absolute treasure trove of early German, Celtic, Roman, and Bavarian artifacts. You’ll find the museum in a rebuilt patrician’s house on Frauenhoferstraße, off the main pedestrian zone in Straubing. Our tour bus driver, Bene, recommended the museum to me. (And here’s a travel tip- when the bus driver recommends something, GO!). I’ve always loved smaller museums because they pack a lot of information about a specific topic into a more focused space. This means the curators have to use creativity to make it interesting. From the front, the Gäubodenmuseum didn’t look that imposing. Just a smallish sign… and a simple lobby. I thought I’d be in and out in under an hour… but I wasn’t.

This isn’t a tiny museum with a few dusty relics and handwritten 3 x 5 notecard signage. Thousands of artifacts are arranged in modern displays that showcase 7000 years of history. Many displays are set up to show how the objects were used or worn. Masks are hung at eye level. And my favorite: skeletons are laid out in boxes with the objects and jewelry buried with them. Best of all,  the displays are designed to be enjoyed by everyone. (Wheelchair accessible, Braille, Audio jacks, etc). And the lighting is perfect. Does it make me sound like a museum geek?

For thousands of years, people lived along the Danube River, from prehistoric peoples to the Celts. Later, the Romans used the Danube as an extension of their Limes (borders), set up encampments along the river, and occupied the area for over 400 years. When the Roman Empire fell, the Bavarii moved in and made Straubing (named for their leader Strupinga) their center. Then, in 1218, Ludwig I of Wittelsbach made Straubing the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing. For years, this city on the Danube held an important place in German history thanks to its trade wealth and its role as a seat of government… and then, as the years passed, other cities grew. The city was sacked during the Thirty Years’ War and continued, but much smaller. But thanks to the Löss, many artifacts from these periods have been preserved.

So, what is Löss? The scientific definition of Löss is: Any sediment, dominated by silt, of eolian (wind-blown) origin OR a buff to gray wind-blown deposit of fine-grained, calcareous silt or clay. Basically, it’s silty soil with exactly the right stuff to preserve things. (You find pockets of Löss in North America and China,  and treasures are buried there, too.)

Straubing is the perfect storm of an unending chain of important human settlements combined with the right conditions to preserve it all.

People have been unearthing treasure in Straubing for a LONG time. The Gäubodenmuseum began in 1845, when someone had the idea of displaying outdated weapons from the city armory. By 1898, the city formed a Historical Association, and the museum collection doubled. Everyone in town must have donated items from their own collections. Then, in 1950, archaeologists made a remarkable find: the largest deposit of Roman parade armor ever found in Germany. The museum grew, and today it has several distinct departments, including “Prehistory, “Early Bavaria in Straubing,” “Straubing – Under Elector and King”, “Sacred Art,” and a Roman department including a Treasure Trove and an exhibition of a camp, a village, religion, and burial artifacts.

My Favorite section was the room that described burial customs from each group. It included what they were buried with, or what was found at the site. It included tribal burials, Roman burials, and even pieces from the Middle Ages. Displays were set in lit cases low enough for someone in a wheelchair to look in. The cables you see are part of the audio system that explains each exhibit (all in different voices!)