Kreismuseum Peine

The Kreismuseum Peine stands in the town of Peine, Lower Saxony, inside a 17th-century timber-framed house once owned by the councillor Heinrich Köning. The building itself is part of the story, its rooms recalling the life of a Peiner family across centuries. Outside, a steel sculpture by Hans-Jürgen Breuste greets visitors before they step into the permanent displays. The museum matters because it preserves everyday life in the district. Dr Ulrika Evers guided it for thirty years until 2017, building a collection that ranges from art to local crafts. A recent exhibition on the painter Hans Nowak drew record crowds, showing how the past continues to speak through images and objects. Inside, visitors find rooms filled with tools, costumes and photographs that trace the region’s development. Temporary shows add fresh perspectives, while artworks by local creators hang alongside historical pieces. The entrance hall holds Balthasar Köning’s baroque epitaph, linking the house’s past to its present role as a cultural meeting place.