In the ensemble of Paulinzella Monastery you can not only walk in the footsteps of the Schwarzburg counts and princes, one of the oldest Thuringian noble families, but also discover the grounds of one of the most important Romanesque monastery buildings in Germany. The permanent exhibitions of ThüringenForst and our annually changing special exhibitions round off the offer.
The Museum for Monastery, Forestry and Hunting History was established in 2002 in the Paulinzella hunting lodge. Set up by the Thuringian State Museum Heidecksburg, it takes visitors on a journey through the history of the former monastery church, founded by the noblewoman Paulina between 1102 and 1105. The monastery church is one of the most valuable buildings of Romanesque art; it is an architectural monument of national importance and international artistic value. After the introduction of the Reformation in 1524, the monastery was abolished and consequently deteriorated into the ruins that can still be seen today. It finally came into the possession of the Counts of Schwarzburg. The history of forestry and hunting, which was important for the principality, is also vividly illustrated.
The permanent exhibition »From the stone axe to the chainsaw« was created by ThüringenForst and formerly located in the office building before the renovation. Now, it can be visited on the first floor of the hunting lodge. It provides vivid information about the development of wood harvesting technology. The original saws are explained with the help of text panels and historical photos, and each machine on display is provided with its most important technical data. The collection also contains a wealth of forestry hand tools.
Following extensive renovation, areas have been created on the ground floor of the Official House that are open to visitors. Exhibition and information areas offer the opportunity to present a forest message as well as to learn more about the history of the old office building. Historical and current facts are presented. A late Gothic stove from around 1500 adorns the restored wooden parlour. This jewel was conjured out of 110 tiles. A 1:20 scale model of the Official House illustrates the representative multi-storey half-timbered building. It was made from the original timbers and can be moved around. In addition, the Official House offers space to create annually changing special exhibitions in cooperation between the Thuringian State Museum Heidecksburg and ThüringenForst, which deal with topics of the monastery's history and nature.
