Begas Haus, Museum and historic site in Heinsberg, Germany
Begas Haus is a museum in Heinsberg named after the Begas artist family, whose ancestor Carl Joseph Begas was born there in 1794. It occupies a 16th–18th-century building expanded with the neighbouring Haus Lennartz and reopened on 12 March 2014. Its permanent displays hold the largest collection in Germany of paintings, sculptures and prints by the Begas family, alongside regional historical objects and Christian treasure art.
The building, a structure from the 16th to 18th centuries, reopened on 12 March 2014 after three years of renovation. The neighbouring Haus Lennartz was incorporated and the whole complex was redesigned inside and out. Under director Rita Müllejans-Dickmann the museum gained a new profile focused on the Begas artist family and regional history, and in 2017 it was nominated for the European Museum Prize.
The building showcases works by the Begas artist family, who created sculptures and paintings across multiple generations. Visitors encounter religious artwork and regional objects that document this family's artistic legacy.
The Begas Haus stands in central Heinsberg, next to the Propsteikirche St. Gangolf and Burg Heinsberg, so the entrance is easy to find on foot. The building was extended with the neighbouring Haus Lennartz and completely redesigned inside and outside during the three-year conversion. A Lebenshilfe-run café is attached to the museum, and art is occasionally shown there under the motto "Kultur ohne Barrieren".
The bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I beside the entrance was unveiled on Heinsberg's market square on 20 September 1908 and removed from there in 1942. It passed into private ownership and is now on permanent loan to the museum, so the piece returned to public view after decades out of sight.
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