Hunsrückmuseum and its collection
The Hunsrück Museum Simmern, located in the New Castle in Simmern, is the regional museum of the city. It houses a variety of collections that provide insights into the city and regional history. One of the highlights of the museum is its noteworthy fossil collection, which offers a unique glimpse into the region’s geological past.
The Reality and Myth of Schinderhannes
An integral part of the Hunsrück Museum is the “Reality and Myth of Schinderhannes” exhibition, located in the historic Schinderhannes tower in Simmern. This former tower prison was once the holding place of Johannes Bückler, known as “Schinderhannes”, who made a spectacular escape in 1799. This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into this historical figure and his daring escape.
The legend of Schinderhannes truly emerged from his escape from a prison tower in Simmern, a market town in the Hunsrück region of the Rhineland. At the time, the west bank of the Rhine was under French occupation, and the peasantry was happy to celebrate anyone who was able to flout the law. At the end of 1798, Bückler had a criminal record that included thefts of at least 40 head of cattle and horses. He was arrested by French gendarmerie and brought before a judge, where he confessed some of his crimes. Imprisoned in a wooden tower in Simmern that most believed to be impenetrable, he used a kitchen knife, smuggled in by a sympathetic guard, and cut a hole in a small window to escape. The prison escape became widely reported, exciting the public and making Schinderhannes a folk hero.
Hunsrück-Museum
Schlossplatz
D-55469 Simmern/Hsr.
Germany
HWW Museum Mannequins created a likeness figure of Schinder Hannes based on historical drawings.
