The Regional History and Local Culture Collection was begun in the early 20th century. The increasing industrialisation and urbanisation had radically changed many areas of life. In the course of this, familiar living environments threatened to disappear forever. Initially, mainly rustic furniture, costumes and handcrafted products were collected in order to preserve this aspect of the local heritage. Over time, different collection concepts extended the object spectrum.

Today, the collection includes exhibits from a wide range of contexts of everyday life in northern Hesse from the 17th century to the present: furniture, tools, household utensils or toys show how the families of tradesmen and people in the lower middle classes, agricultural and working class households lived, worked, ate their food and spent their leisure time. They also illustrate the technological changes and the cultural transformation over the past 200 years. Often, these objects also reflect the social crises, political upheavals and social movements of those times. The history behind each of these exhibits is an essential part of their character: who used or made them, and how important they were to these people. Personal accounts such as letters, diaries or interviews also provide insights into the different ways of life, fates and attitudes. The collection also reflects the local society's increasing diversity.