By opening this new permanent exhibition in October 2007, the Badisches Landesmuseum added the final element to the completely new conceptual design of the Middle Ages collection in the Karlsruhe castle. The period from the 9th to the 13th century is now presented in a separate room.
The High Middle Ages
From Charlemagne to the Staufer dynasty
The Petershausen portal in the exhibition
The mighty Petershausen portal forms the centrepiece of the exhibit. After the Galluspforte (Gallus portal) in Basel, Switzerland, it is the oldest Romanesque carved portal in the German-speaking region. During the last 20 years, the Petershausen portal could be displayed only in part or provisionally in the Badisches Landesmuseum due to architectural constraints. The impressive monumental scale of the original structure has finally been reconstructed for this new presentation.
From the Benedictine monastery of Rheinmünster-Schwarzach (Upper Rhine region), the Badisches Landesmuseum received an extraordinary archaeological find as a permanent loan from the local church of St. Peter and Paul. The small Schwarzacher Köpfchen (“little head” of Schwarzach) is the oldest example of glass painting in the West (see gallery).
 |
 |
| Enthroned Madonna and Child, Spain, late 12th century |
The Petershausen portal and the “little head” of Schwarzach are incorporated into the depiction of these times when conflicts between church and aristocracy were common. This is illustrated by numerous artworks from the collections of the Badisches Landesmuseum, including coloured wood sculptures, intricate ivory carvings, brilliant glass paintings with scenes from the youth of Jesus Christ and Romanesque capitals.