From the Paleolithic to the early Middle Ages

On the ground floor of the State Museum, archaeological finds dating back over 300,000 years provide insights into our region's very early history. The Pre- and Protohistoric Collection's numerous objects illustrate humankind's life-changing moments, for example the invention of tools, the shift from nomadism to sedentism, or the discovery of metalworking.

Visitors learn exciting facts about how the Neanderthals fashioned hand axes or about the jewellery worn by Bronze Age women. The exhibition answers many questions, such as where people lived in the Iron Age, when the Chatti came to Hesse or which difficulties the missionary Saint Boniface encountered.

The two atriums are dedicated to the more recent development of agriculture, and to how people made use of the local raw materials in the Middle Ages and in the modern era. They make you look forward to what else you might find on the upper floors.

Functional art

The second floor of the Museum of Hessian History is a veritable artisanry and design treasure trove. The exhibition shows the beautifully crafted useful objects the Hessian landgraves collected during their seven centuries of rule over the region. The objects illustrate the changing times and bring history to life.

On display are works crafted by artisans in churches and monasteries and in the local towns and villages. Especially the exhibits formerly owned by the Hessian landgraves illustrate just how cultured life was at their courts, and their passion for collection. There are pieces from Maurice of Hesse-Kassel's Kunstkammer collection (he was also known as "Maurice the Learned"), and Baroque art from the court of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. The display also includes antique glassware, amber and ivory, as well as faïences – a special kind of earthenware –, porcelain from Meissen, Kassel and Fulda as well as valuable pieces from the landgraves' collection of porcelain from China and Japan.

The ever-changing face of everyday life

The third floor of the Museum of Hessian History focuses on the more recent developments in North Hesse's cultural and regional history. The exhibition here is all about the everyday lives of the local people from around 1800 to the present: how greatly and quickly they changed – and keep on changing.

Machines often replaced manual production methods in record time. New inventions such as the railway radically altered everyday life. Locals emigrated, others came here in search of a better life.

The 19th century was also characterised by the citizens' struggle for political participation and freedom. Women fought for equal rights. The two world wars, National Socialism, the establishment of a democratic system post-1945 or Germany's reunification also left their marks on the region. Oral history contributions from people who actually experienced all of these events bring everything to life for all visitors.