Dachau Regional Museum Old Town Dachau looks as though it has been done by a professional designer with coordinated pastel colors and architecture that carries out a theme. You won't find any shabby buildings in Old Town Dachau; everything is in pristine condition and very well maintained. The photograph above shows the pink building of the Dachau Regional Museum located at the corner of Augsburgerstrasse and Schlossgasse, the narrow street that climbs up the hill to the Schloss (Castle). Next to it is a building painted powder blue and then the Kochwirt Restaurant painted a lovely sage green. The Museum building was built in 1790 and was first used as the Treasury Office of the Prince Elector of Bavaria. Back then, the German states were united in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and each state had an Elector to choose the Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire ended in 1806 after Napoleon's conquest. The Regional Museum was moved to this building from its former location in the Castle in 1987. There are three floors of exhibits which show all aspects of everyday life in Dachau in former times. There are entire rooms furnished like a living room, bedroom and kitchen in the olden days. There is a glass case with dummies dressed in wedding clothes from 1870 and other displays of Dachau's every day regional dress. These clothes are very conservative, dark-colored, fancy dirndl outfits for the women and black suits and hats for the men. The most impressive exhibit is a large farm wagon piled high with a four-poster canopy bed and other household goods. It was the custom for the wedding party to parade through town carrying furniture to the couple's new home. There are a lot of religious artifacts because Bavaria has been Catholic for centuries. There is also an exhibit which shows photographs of the former concentration camp in Dachau, although the rest of the museum is devoted to the past, not contemporary history. In a small glass display case is a miniature leather work shoe with a wooden sole. The display says that this was the type of shoe worn by the prisoners in the camp. District Administration OfficeBack to List of Historic PlacesBack to Table of ContentsHome |