Concept

There, the uncovered architectural relics of Sülchen’s predecessor buildings – the apses of the Ottonian and Romanesque churches – are accessible. While the historical walls of the lower church are in themselves meaningful testimony, the new museum concept turns them into image and meaning carriers at the same time through a media presentation. Projections make the building history of the church, the extent of the early medieval burial ground, but also the everyday culture and the religious horizon of the people buried in Sülchen comprehensible.

The grave finds on display make it possible to look deeply into the history of Sülchen. In the Early Middle Ages room, under the title “Lebenswelt und Jenseitshoffnung. Grave goods of the Early Middle Ages”, rich grave furnishings from the middle of the 6th to the 2nd half of the 7th century are presented. The finds show that the area around Rottenburg was not only settled since prehistoric times, but was also one of the important sites of the Christianisation of Alamannia. The grave goods preserved from the late Middle Ages and the Baroque period are on display in a second room entitled “Private Mourning and Ecclesiastical Consolation. Baroque Funeral Culture”. They tell of the social status of the deceased and the burial rites of the time, but also show the change in ideals of office and sanctity as well as developments in lay and popular piety. All the grave goods open a window into the everyday world and culture of the people of past times and touch on a question of humanity that has lost none of its topicality beyond the change of historical epochs: the question of death and the afterlife, of “What comes after?”

The excavation and the singular archaeological finds combined with modern didactics make the history of Sülchen, a place rich in tradition, tangible for visitors in the museum part of the church. Thus, the Sülchen church is today a place of worship and at the same time a rich place of remembrance and experience.

Multimedia exhibition presentation

So that the grave goods found in the Sülchen church do not remain silent, visitors can expect an impressive multimedia presentation in the lower church.

There, not only historical data but also the respective people, their everyday culture and their horizons of faith come to life. Image projections and audio recordings make excursions to other art locations, bring important historical personalities up close and let renowned experts have their say. The museum exhibition of the Sülchen treasures is a branch of the Diocecan museum Rottenburg.

Team

Diocesan Conservator Dr. phil. Melanie Prange

Direction
Phone: +49 (0) 7472 922-180
museum@bo.drs.de

Publications
Matthias Raidt

Scientific assistant
Guided tour registrations by phone
Mo–Fr, from 9–12 Uhr
phone: 0160 1635388
mraidt@bo.drs.de

Hildegard Weidenauer

Secretary
phone: 07472 922-180
HWeidenauer@bo.drs.de

Guides: Andrea Bachmann, Matthias Reuther, Jörg Widmann

Publications

Impressions

With the 3D panoramic tour, or our collection of video documentaries on the Sülchen church.

Panoramic 3D tour

Press

Press photos for download (after enlarging, save the image with the right mouse button or download all images as a ZIP archive [95MB]).