Museum am Strom, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

3JDLOA 5:00 PM Sep 1, 2016

Hildegard: Visionary, Naturopath, Musician...
The museum is situated along the waterfront not far from the Bingen City railway station. Housed in the old electricity building, the museum boasts a small yet impressive exhibition of Roman surgical equipment. The main focus of the museum is the life and times of St Hildegard. This was presented in story boards with some original texts referencing her life and that of her supporters. Not being able to speak German, I relied on the English translation sheets available at the desk. It was difficult to keep track of what storyboard the translated paragraphs were referenced to. Also the information about the actual pictures, paintings and exhibits were not included in the translation so I was left speculating with I imagine varying degrees of accuracy about what they were. Upstairs (accessible by lift if needed) were the visual representations of Hildegard's visions. The models of the Abbeys Hildegard was associated with were helpful. Between the tourist information centre and the museum staff I received conflicting information about access to sites associated with Hildegard in the city and found the museum the only place I could visit. The ferry across to the Eibingen Abbey leaves hourly and on the hour making it more difficult to access. I suggest making this a full day's excursion, starting at the museum and then going up to the Eibingen Abbey, to fully absorb the story of Hildegard von Bingen and her influence.

3enwee 5:00 PM May 5, 2016

I expected more
Pluses: Entrance on the day we visited was free. Easy access & location: the museum is located next to the Rhine. Parking is available, not free. Dogs allowed (this was a minus for us as my husband is very allergic to dogs). There are 'Roman' days, with activities for younger kids, check out website for dates. Super interesting for those among us who are fanatics about Hildegard Von Bingen. Minuses & neutrals: If you're not interested in religion, then please skip this museum. True, the part about Roman findings (medical instruments etc) is very interesting, but it is too limited to especially come for. The vast part of the museum is about the religious life and visions of Hildegard Von Bingen. Unfortunately there is hardly any mention about her music. The garden was not mentioned when I entered (maybe it was too early in the season). All information other than German, has to be read from laminated pages. This gets very tiresome if you're not that fanatical about the life of Hildegard and spirituality in the Middle Ages. Behind the two-level hall, there are rooms with paintings and furniture. Mainly Romantic and Biedermeier style. There is also a collection of themed drawingbooks from the castles of the Middle Rhine. My teenage son, while usualy very enthusiast about museums, could not keep his interest for a long time and to be honest, after 1.5h, I had more than enough.