Dithmarscher Landesmuseum

Regional and cultural history museum specialising in regional history and everyday culture of the 20th century.

A place with history - for past and present

Explore the eventful cultural and regional history of Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein's oldest museum building. Opened in 1896, the exhibition building combines the architecture of old farmhouses and three-aisled church buildings and is currently part of a museum complex that now comprises four buildings.
In its more than 150-year history, the Dithmarscher Landesmuseum itself has undergone many changes: originally founded in 1872 as the "Dithmarsischer Alterthümer" collection, it is now a modern and openly orientated regional museum that spans the arc from the beginnings of the cultural landscape to the present day and also addresses socio-political issues.

Understanding and decoding the "Dithmarschen myth"

What characterises the identity of Dithmarschen? The much-vaunted desire for freedom? And how free were the people of Dithmarschen really? The newly prepared and multimedia-based permanent exhibition explores these questions and takes visitors through more than 1200 years of Dithmarschen history - from the medieval heyday of the so-called peasant republic to the horrors of National Socialism. Unique exhibits and documents shed light on important historical events as well as on the land and its people.

Journey into the past

Faithfully furnished living and business rooms take visitors back to the everyday life of the people of Dithmarsch from 1870 to the 1960s. Phenomena such as social change, economic upturn and a growing range of leisure activities in rural areas become tangible in the listed building of the former Meldorf Scholars' School.
In addition, the Dithmarscher Landesmuseum offers a varied annual programme with interesting special exhibitions and events, panel discussions on current topics, readings and much more.