Colombischlössle Archeological Museum

The Colombischlössle Archeological Museum is a municipal archaeological museum in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is dedicated to the prehistoric inheritance and human development of the High and Upper Rhine region. Its permanent exhibition traces an extensive chronological span, presenting archaeological finds from the Paleolithic Age through the Middle Ages. The institution serves as a significant center for regional history, combining its permanent galleries with interactive stations, educational programs, and rotating special exhibitions.

The museum's collections originated with the efforts of Alexander Ecker, Heinrich Fischer, and Wilhelm Deecke. Deecke, who led the Geological Institute at the University of Freiburg, expanded an existing collection for the Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography that had been established in 1867. By 1926, he housed this collection at the Geological Institute at Hebelstraße 40 and appointed prehistorian Georg Kraft to oversee it. In 1936, the Museum of Prehistory separated from the Geological Institute to become an independent institute within the university's philosophical faculty, relocating to the Adelhauser Kloster. The Museum of Prehistory officially opened in June 1938, with Kraft managing the university institute, archaeological monument preservation, and the museum in personal union. Kraft led the institution until his death during the Allied bombing of Freiburg in 1944. After World War II, the museum closed to the public due to space constraints, and its collections were placed in storage in 1961 to make room for a natural history museum. In 1978, the municipal council resolved to reestablish the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in the Colombischlössle. Following planning in 1979, the museum reopened in 1983 under the direction of Gerd Biegel, with Lothar Späth presiding over the inauguration. Subsequent directors included Hilde Hiller (1986 to 2004), who redesigned the Stone and Bronze Age, Iron Age, Alemannic Treasury, and Early Middle Ages galleries. Helena Pastor Borgoñón took over in 2005, focusing on the Roman era, and from 2012 to 2022 she shared the directorship with Beate Grimmer-Dehn.

The museum's collection focuses on the human development of the High and Upper Rhine from the Paleolithic Age to the Early Middle Ages. Its holdings include numerous permanent loans from the state of Baden-Württemberg. The permanent exhibition is organized chronologically, featuring artifacts from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, early farmers, and Bronze Age metal production. The Roman rooms, redesigned in 2009, cover technology, military, and daily life. The early medieval section includes runic inscriptions and an Alemannic treasure chamber. The museum augments its displays with models, interactive stations, and educational programs where visitors can practice skills like Stone Age fire making or crafting Roman oil lamps. It also maintains a reference library of archaeological publications and hosts regular temporary exhibitions.

Among the most significant holdings are the unique jet figurines from Petersfels, which are over 10,000 years old and associated with Ice Age hunters and gatherers. The collection also features the oldest glass bowl found north of the Alps and the Celtic princely grave from Kappel-Grafenhausen. Roman-era highlights include numerous finds from the Roman camp at Dangstetten and the Oppidum Altenburg. Early medieval artifacts of note include the Neudingen runic staff from the sixth century and precious objects from Alemannic graves in Hüfingen and Bräunlingen, as well as finds from Freiburg and its surrounding areas.

The museum is housed in the Colombischlössle, a neo-Gothic villa situated at the Rotteckring in Freiburg im Breisgau. The building previously served as the city's art museum from 1909 to 1923 and subsequently functioned as an administrative building. Following its remodeling in 1983, the villa became the home of the archaeological museum. The building underwent a sanitation and renovation process in the summer of 2014.

The Colombischlössle Archeological Museum operates as a municipal institution within the Städtische Museen Freiburg. It is located in the Colombischlössle villa at the Rotteckring in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. The museum provides educational programs tailored for school classes, families, and children, alongside its permanent and special exhibitions. Further details regarding access and current programs are available on the official Freiburg city website.