Hesse
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
This page, part of our Germany Travel Guide, provides details of the art, archaeology and history sites, museums and related attractions to visit in the state of Hesse. Readers wishing to visit these places will find visitor information, links to official websites as well as other helpful resources. Those who have an account (free of charge) can create their own travel lists and itineraries. To benefit fully from this website’s travel planning features, see the User’s Guide. The information on this page has been put together by various members of the Archaeology Travel team, based on both personal visits and research. The page was last checked and/or updated on 25 October 2023.
Create Your Hesse Itinerary & Travel Lists
If you are planning a trip to Hesse, and other regions in Germany, you can use our Itinerary Builder with the list of sites and museums below to create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itineraries. These can be shared with your friends, privately and on social media. To make use of this feature, however, you will need to login or register as a new user. Registering to use these features is free of charge. Once registered and logged in, you can use the lists below to select sites and museums you would like to add to your itinerary and/or travel lists. Please Note: the lists below only include sites and museums in the German state of Hesse, go to the German Travel Guide to find places to visit in the other states.
Archaeology & History Sites in Hesse
The World of the Celts in Glauberg
At the southern tip of the Glauberg archaeologists have excavated and reconstructed an Iron Age burial mound that is associated with a system of ditches and banks. Besides recovering graves with high status objects, the most remarkable find was an intact life size sandstone statue, and the remains of at least thee more. These are unique in Celtic archaeology. An onsite museum presents the extraordinary archaeology from the site. The site is located in an archaeological park. A route through the park allows visitors to see Iron Age fortifications.
Saalburg Roman Fort
The Roman fort of Saalburg, also Römerkastell Saalburg, was a frontier fortification on the Upper German Limes just northwest of Bad Homburg, Hesse. The earliest excavations were carried out in the 1850s. In 1897 Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered a reconstruction of the fort, the result a near complete reconstruction of a Roman fort. Displays in the buildings use artefacts from the fort to give an idea of life in Roman times here. There are also artefacts from nearby sites such as the exquisite gilded bronze head of a horse from Waldgrimes.
Museums & Art Galleries in Hesse
Hessenpark Open-Air Museum
The state government of Hesse launched the Hessenpark Open-Air Museum in 1974 as a means of protecting and showcasing various historical buildings in their care. There are nearly 100 historic buildings in the open-air museum, including residential structures, windmills, a water-mill, a bakery, a village school, a blacksmiths’ workshop, a church and a synagogue, many set out in the style of an early 20th century town. Various special events take place throughout the year.
Wilhelmshöhe Palace
The 18th century Neoclassical palace was built for Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse. It replaced an earlier 17th century, which itself replaced an earlier castle that had been fashioned out of a 12th century monastery. Today the palace houses an Old Masters Gallery, a collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, and a collection of over 60,000 prints and drawings. The palace is part of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe UNESCO World Heritage site.
