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From shards to a piece of jewelry: Fasanerie Castle opens the season with restored porcelain, new tours and irritating miniature worlds.
Eichenzell – It's still quite fresh in the museum rooms, but real fans don't know any different. And even though a few snowflakes fell in Eichenzell recently, the following applies: Winter is over, Easter is just around the corner, and Fasanerie Castle is opening its doors to visitors. There will be a lot on offer again in 2026. There are new tours, irritating special exhibitions, lots of music and a pile of broken glass that has been swept up, literally and in a broader sense.
Fasanerie Castle starts the season with new highlights
Before the press conference was about the new season, the possible change of ownership of the baroque palace was discussed. The House of Hesse wants to hand over Pheasantry and its entire art collection to the stateas the Fulda newspaper reported.
This is not a sale, emphasized museum director Dr. Markus Miller first and added that this offer, which of course comes with rights and obligations, will now be properly reviewed. “Nothing will be completed before 2027,” he said, and at the same time emphasized that his Pheasantry team had put together a varied program with the same level of commitment.
“The Falcon Princess” is the name of a new children’s tour (every Saturday at 2:45 p.m.). It replaces the previous fairy tale tours. To date, these have been based on the stories of the Brothers Grimm, but “their role models no longer fit our times,” says Miller. That's why the educational department of the house, together with a professional storyteller, came up with the story of Princess Wilhelmine, who was transformed into a falcon and who has to be tracked down and of course rescued by the young visitors.
A Chinese goldfish tank made of porcelain appears almost inconspicuous in the museum. But the story behind it was a surprise for everyone involved. During research for last year's special exhibition “Fascination with East Asia,” it was shown in a historical photo, but “we didn't know it,” as Miller explained.
Investigations revealed that the good piece from the 18th century had crashed and broken while being transported to the museum many years ago. However, because this mishap had happened to an employee, no insurance was involved. So the shards were swept up, packed in a box and “put on the cupboard”.
Miller laughs. After the box was taken down, “a challenge” began for restorer Wibke Hartmann, as she said. Because with an object like this you can't just paste one part after the other, you first have to laboriously put the whole basin together, fix it and then you can glue it. The work took four months, and a few missing puzzle pieces also had to be replaced. But now the stately pool can be seen again.
The first special exhibition in the bathhouse can also be seen from April 18th. Frank Kunert shows his work under the title “Miniature Worlds – Spaces of the Impossible”. The Frankfurter explained his procedure yesterday in Eichenzell: He first makes small-format models, places them on a table in his studio and photographs them.
The result is confusing images of, among other things, houses that seem real, but in which something is wrong. This is the case with “balconies”: as flat as the building is, no one can live in it. But the towels, parasols and flower pots show that there must be people here. By the way, Jens Rausch will be exhibiting in the bathhouse from August 7th.
In 2026, many downright traditional events will take place again, including the Princely Garden Festival (May 14th to 17th), which also includes a concert by the Finnish quintet Uusikuu. In general, there is of course a lot of music to be experienced. Miller points out one special feature: with the performance of the Peter Reiter Quartet on May 22nd, the Main-Kinzig-Fulda cultural summer will open for the first time at Fasanerie Castle.
The entire program as well as information about opening times, guided tours and tickets can be found at Schloss-fasanerie.de.
