Varied exhibitions in the medieval fortified castle

Turn back time : this image is taken literally on the "Wheel of Time". Even the path through the time tunnel leads right into questions about the phenomenon of time: What is time? Does it change us - or do we change it?

The exhibition shows how differently time has been experienced over the centuries . Visitors can navigate the "Wheel of Time" along the timeline through the history of the castle and discover many surprising episodes.

There are also exciting things for children to discover: In the magic mirror , the two castle mice Bärbel and Jacki accompany young guests through an imaginative "Age of Mice".

The weapons of the first and last knights of Werfen symbolize the castle's eventful history. Changes in time have always meant changes in function and meaning.

The gallery also provides an insight into the social life of past centuries - especially life around the castle. Curious insights range from medieval dress codes and early medicine to the diet of rich and poor. Finds from the late Middle Ages to more recent modern times tell of both good and difficult times in the castle's history.

The theme of time is also linked to the personal tour of the castle: with the "Song of Time", Salzburg writer and dialect poet Katharina J. Ferner has given the tour a new poetic note. Thoughts about the role of time in the life of a castle can also be found in the exhibition and invite you to drift through the "castle times" - until you finally arrive back in the here and now.

On the upper floor and in the upper gallery, a special exhibition is dedicated to a dramatic chapter in regional history: the Salzburg Peasants' War of 1525/26.

In Pongau , peasants and miners from the Gastein Valley rose up against Prince Archbishop Matthäus Lang and tried to force him to resign by force of arms. This brought the Archbishopric of Salzburg to the brink of its existence.

Fortress Hohenwerfen also played a central role: it fell into the hands of the rebels. After a significant victory for the rebels at Schladming, aristocratic hostages were held at the castle until peace was concluded in the summer of 1525.

A special element of the exhibition is the bridge to the present day: during the live event "The Uprising" in June 2025, the capture of the castle was impressively re-enacted with over 200 participants from the region. Their faces and stories can now also be found in the exhibition.

Multimedia installations allow "insurgents" themselves and add further perspectives to the traditional victorious story of the prince archbishop. Visitors can thus form their own impression of the interests pursued by the various groups - and whether an uprising against tyranny and disenfranchisement can be justified.

Possible alliances of the peasants against the "king" can also be tried out on an alienated chessboard: Miners as knights, towns as rooks - a playful approach to the strategic possibilities of the conflicts of the time.

The exhibition invites visitors to engage with questions that are still relevant today: Power, resistance, human rights and the long road to democratic movements.