Psychiatriemuseum Haina

The Psychiatry Museum Haina explores psychiatric care within the halls of a former Cistercian monastery featuring a medical infirmary built in the 16th century. The building preserves exhibits, documents, and objects spanning four centuries of treatment and care approaches.

After the monastery was secularized in 1533, it became one of four high hospitals created by Landgrave Philip of Hesse to serve poor rural populations. This shift from religious to medical use defined the building's role for centuries.

The name reflects its role as a healing facility, where visitors today encounter personal stories and medical objects from past eras as they move through the rooms. The exhibition shows how people with mental illnesses were treated and how views on care changed across generations.

The museum is currently closed for major renovations and expansions while the archive remains available for research purposes. Visitors should check ahead since conditions may change depending on work progress.

The collection includes a restraint chair and a spinning wheel invented by physician Christian August Fürchtegott Hayner to manage agitated patients. These devices show how earlier doctors attempted to use mechanical aids in their treatment approaches.