The prehistory of the region is not neglected either: echinoderms, cephalopods and crinoids - in fossil form, of course - bear witness to a time when no human foot had yet walked through the Sauerland. The Westfalen Tin Figure Cabinet, a world full of colorful tin Lilliputians, which recreate historical scenes in 22 dioramas, is also pretty to look at.
In the section on the regional history of the Duchy of Westfalen, the focus is on a country in the turmoil of time. The "Rural Life" exhibition unit documents life on a 500-year-old estate near Kirchhundem. The unit on "Popular Beliefs" shows that in difficult times, people walked the often narrow path between faith and superstition, between devotion and sorcery. Castles and palaces in the Bigge and Lenner region and aristocratic privileges, such as hunting, document aspects of an aristocratic way of life.
The colorful and traditional history of the town of Attendorn includes the topics of guilds and customs. Visitors leave the hustle and bustle of the town behind them when they enter the exhibition unit on monastic culture. The Nikolai fraternity, from which Hanseatic merchants were recruited from the 13th century onwards, was one of the sources of contacts with the rest of the world. Church treasures show the high art of gold and silversmiths from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The tour ends at the Westfalen Tin Figure Cabinet.
(Text: Südsauerlandmuseum)
The Südsauerlandmuseum is a place of experience at and an attraction at >WasserEisenLand - Industriekultur Südwestfalen.