The Black Forest clock
Around 1660, the Black Forest clockmaker brothers Georg and Mathias Kreutz produce the first wooden clocks. The Black Forest clock soon began its worldwide triumph. Clichés from the cuckoo to the lonely clockmaker are associated with this product, which is still popular today and is typical of the region. The chronologically arranged exhibition shows the whole range of clock movements and the carved and painted shields. It also shows the trade networks and methods of travelers in the 18th century as well as personal fates. The life of Andreas Löffler from St. Märgen, who went to England in 1839 to work as a trader, is particularly moving. In over 20 letters to his parents, the thoughts, feelings and actions of this young man from the Black Forest come to life.
Monastery sculptor Matthias Faller
The monastery museum houses some of the characteristic works of the monastery sculptor Matthias Faller (1707 - 1791), who worked mainly for the monasteries of St. Märgen and St. Peter. Large baroque and rococo altars with exuberant ornamentation were created by his hand, as well as small house altars and clock shields.
Sacred art and popular piety
In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was customary to decorate the entire house with religious signs and symbols. This permeation of everyday life with devotional objects such as prayer books, devotional pictures, chasubles and crucifixes, which were often brought back from pilgrimages, served the purpose of personal piety. The rich St. Märgen collection thus illustrates practices of popular piety that have mostly been lost today.
Black Forest reverse glass painting
Black Forest reverse glass painting is closely associated with pilgrimage. In the Middle Ages, a pilgrimage was often a journey of atonement. It was a long-distance pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Regional pilgrimages took the place of long-distance pilgrimages. The development and distribution of Black Forest reverse glass painting, which is important for the pilgrimage site of St. Märgen, is presented in the museum alongside other historical crafts such as shoemaking and traditional costume embroidery.