With the opening of the two exhibitions Roots and Wings - The Brothers Grimm and Steinau and Architecture in Transition - The History of Steinau Castle on June 18, 2025, the State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse (SG) set new accents in museum education at Steinau an der Straße Castle. The relaunch is accompanied by the reopening of the museum store in a new design and digital access to the Kosmos Grimm collection.
"Following its structural extension 500 years ago, Steinau Castle is now one of the few Renaissance castles in Hesse to have been preserved in largely authentic condition, making it one of the most important castles in the state. At the end of the 18th century, the building shaped the everyday lives of the Brothers Grimm, who spent their childhood in Steinau. The two new exhibitions combine the emotional depth of a family history with the fascinating development of an early modern castle complex. I would like to thank everyone involved for the realization of this project, which now accentuates the unique character and historical significance of this place in a special way," says SG Director Kirsten Worms.
View of the exhibition "Roots and Wings - The Brothers Grimm and Steinau" © SG, Stefan Schmitt
Roots and wings - The Brothers Grimm and Steinau
The exhibition Roots and Wings - The Brothers Grimm and Steinau focuses on the Grimm family as a social network and intellectual foundation for the work of the world-famous brothers. The presentation spans from the Grimms' childhood in Steinau through their academic years to the last stages of their lives in Berlin. For the first time, a section of the exhibition is explicitly dedicated to the women of the family: Lotte, Dortchen, Malchen and others are honored in their role in the "Grimm family business". At the same time, the exhibition shows how limited the opportunities for female self-realization were in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. To develop this section of the exhibition, students from the Department of Medieval and Modern Art History, led by Prof. Dr. Martina Sitt (University of Kassel), examined the Grimm collection at the SG. The well-known oil painting "Der Lotte ihre Stube" by Ludwig Emil Grimm from 1821 will be presented as well as previously unexplored works. "Other historical objects such as Jacob Grimm's inkwell and original drawings by Ludwig Emil Grimm impressively demonstrate the family's creative energy. Children can immerse themselves in the world of fairy tales in the exhibition with the help of the figure "Kater Gravus", while adults can look forward to art-historically and socially relevant contexts," says Dr. Kristina Deutsch (SG), curator of the exhibition area on the Brothers Grimm. "The exhibition makes it clear how closely the Grimms were connected to Hesse - emotionally, biographically and scientifically. Born in Hanau, the famous linguists and fairy tale collectors spent a formative part of their childhood in Steinau an der Straße between 1791 and 1798. At the time, the town belonged to the county of Hanau-Münzenberg, which had been part of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel since 1736. In their testimonies, the Grimm siblings repeatedly recall their happy childhood days in Steinau," says Dr. Katharina Bechler, Head of the Museums Department at the SG and coordinator of the exhibition project.
View of the exhibition "Roots and Wings - The Brothers Grimm and Steinau" © SG, Stefan Schmitt
Architecture in transition - the history of Steinau Castle
The architectural history exhibition Baukunst im Wandel - die Geschichte von Schloss Steinau sheds light on the castle as a testimony to the early modern period - it began as a medieval castle and was expanded into a Renaissance castle with a representative kitchen and parlor apartments. Historical plans of the castle, window frames from the time of construction, stair towers and defensive structures bring to life the transformation of an important manorial architecture. The social function of the castle as accommodation for travelers, widow's residence and administrative building is also shown.
"The building fabric from around 800 years of history shows various traces that builders and castle residents have left on the building and provide an insight into their lives," says Roland Frank (SG), curator of the architectural history exhibition. "The exhibition therefore not only provides information about magnificent remains, such as a façade painting that was preserved by later construction, but also about more inconspicuous features, such as a stove flap, which stands for the way in which the problem of heating was dealt with at the time and is still relevant today." A special feature: the bastion floor plan of the castle makes it look like a fortress, but this can be interpreted above all as an expression of the modern, representative aspirations of the Counts of Hanau - a unique example of Renaissance architecture with functional symbolic content. In this spirit, the Counts of Hanau-Münzenberg also had the interiors magnificently decorated. The high-quality wall paintings with Renaissance ornaments and antique-style portrait medallions adorned the rooms that now house the exhibitions. The redesign made precious murals visible again, which had previously been partially concealed by the previous exhibition architecture.
www.schloesser-hessen.de/de/schloss-steinau
Steinau an der Straße Castle, kitchen © SG
Digitale Erweiterung: Der „Kosmos Grimm“
Dank der Förderung des Hessischen Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur (HMWK) mit Mitteln des Hessischen Ministeriums für Digitalisierung und Innovation kann begleitend zur Grimm-Ausstellung der umfangreiche GrimmNachlass der SG ab sofort unter dem Titel Kosmos Grimm auf der Plattform museum-digital präsentiert werden und bereichert damit die Online-Sammlung der Schlösserverwaltung. Hier finden sich derzeit über 280, teils bislang unveröffentlichte Objekte aus dem Grimm-Nachlass – darunter Drucke, Zeichnungen, Alltagsgegenstände, Bücher, Manuskripte und Erinnerungsstücke, die von Dr. Doreen Paula (SG) wissenschaftlich erschlossen wurden. Dabei sind nicht nur Werke des künstlerisch tätigen Bruders Ludwig Emil Grimm Bestand der stetig wachsenden Online-Sammlung, sondern auch Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm zeichneten, radierten und malten selbst. Die Drucke und Zeichnungen umfassen Porträts von Familienmitgliedern, Freunden und Zeitgenossen, aber auch Reproduktionen bürgerlicher Bildwelten des 19. Jahrhunderts. Seite 4 von 5 Mit QR-Codes in der Ausstellung wird dieses digitale Angebot unmittelbar im Schloss Steinau erlebbar gemacht. Doch auch unabhängig von einem Besuch ist die gesamte Online-Sammlung der SG frei verfügbar unter www.schloesser-hessen.de/de/entdecken/sammlung
