Born in Heinsberg in 1794, Carl Joseph Begas the Elder was the progenitor of a dynasty of artists who worked until the 1950s. the progenitor of a dynasty of artists who worked until the 1950s. In the Begas House, the Museum of Art and Regional History Heinsberg, the four generations are united under one roof.
Two collections form a single unit in the Begas Haus. In addition to the largest collection of paintings, sculptures and prints by the Begas family in Germany, the museum's regional history section also sheds light on the eventful past of the culturally rich region between the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Unique historical objects and documents as well as precious Christian treasures and furniture from different eras, from the Middle Ages to the Baroque and Biedermeier periods, place the life and work of four generations of the artist dynasty in a historical context.
A special "treasure" for visitors interested in local history is the "Bürgerbuch" of the town of Heinsberg. For a long time, it was only allowed to be read by selected experts due to its poor condition, but museum visitors can now search this unique source of the town's history digitally.
In the permanent exhibition, which is housed in a historic ensemble of buildings dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, visitors are also invited to become active themselves. The focus here is on high-ranking works by a total of 10 painters and sculptors from the Begas family, spanning the period from Romanticism to the monument cult in the German Empire and the 1950s. Above all, however, museum visitors learn a lot about the history of the artist dynasty and digitally explore which generation was more and which less successful. And anyone who discovers their own artistic streak during the tour can try their hand at a (fictitious) entrance exam for the art academy in the museum.
