Hungertaler from Kirchheim on a trip to the Thuringian State Exhibition

Hungertaler from Kirchheim on a trip to the Thuringian State Exhibition

The Municipal Museum in the Kornhaus is collecting a special “Hungertaler” from the years 1816 and 1817, which will now be part of the Thuringian state exhibition “freiheyt 1525 – 500 Years of the Peasants’ War”. This event, which began on April 26, 2025 and will be on view in Mühlhausen until October 19, 2025, aims to present the social, political and cultural upheavals of the era from new perspectives. According to that Teckbote The Hungertaler, an artfully crafted can medal made of tin, commemorates the famine of 1816, which was triggered by extremely bad weather conditions and bad harvests.

A hunger thaler is not a means of payment, but rather symbolizes the plight of the population at that time. The obverse depicts a mourning family with the inscription “Great is the trouble, O Lord have mercy,” while the reverse depicts scenes of hope and prayer, with an angel proclaiming the words “Know that there is one God.” Inside the medal there are several colored engravings and texts documenting the harrowing natural disasters and the resulting famine.

The Thuringian State Exhibition

The traveling exhibition not only addresses the Hungertaler, but also the collective memory that the Peasants' War of 1525 shaped in the German-speaking regions. The Thuringian State Exhibition in Mühlhausen and Bad Frankenhausen offers comprehensive insights into the perspectives of the insurgents, the nobility and the church during the peasant uprisings in 1524 and 1525. Over 400 exhibits from more than 80 national and international lenders are displayed on over 1,500 m² in order to offer visitors a wide range of information, according to information from peasant war2025.de.

Special highlights of the exhibition include the runic sword by Thomas Müntzer and the iron hand of Götz von Berlichingen as well as sculptures by Tilman Riemenschneider. The Mühlhausen Museums are complemented by the Cultural History Museum, which deals with the interpretation and reception of the Peasants' War from the 16th century to the present.

Opening times and locations

• Öffnungszeiten: Dienstag bis Sonntag von 10 bis 17 Uhr.
• Standorte:
  • Mühlhäuser Museen, Kristanplatz 7, 99974 Mühlhausen.
  • Panorama Museum, Am Schlachtberg 9, 06567 Bad Frankenhausen.

The Hungertaler will return to Kirchheim after the exhibition is over, while the exhibition in Mühlhausen continues to bring visitors closer to the social and cultural context of the time.