The chieftain was buried on a bronze couch decorated with small bronze figures of dancers.
Excavators found a set of nine gold-plated drinking horns inside the tomb.
The original mound originally measured 60 meters in diameter and 6 meters in height.
The chieftain's funeral clothing was adorned with over 1,000 tiny gold plaques.
Analysis of the burial chamber's timber indicated the tree was felled in 530 BC.
The site was discovered by chance during agricultural surveying in 1977.
The bronze cauldron found in the tomb had a capacity of approximately 400 liters.
The Celtic Museum Hochdorf is built directly over the site of a 6th-century BC Celtic princely burial mound. The centerpiece is the reconstructed burial chamber, which contains a life-sized replica of a high-status chieftain’s grave. Original artifacts found during the 1978 excavation, including a bronze cauldron and gold-embellished weaponry, are displayed within the museum. The exhibit illustrates Iron Age burial rituals and the social stratification of the Hallstatt culture. A partial reconstruction of the tumulus allows visitors to understand the original scale of the burial mound. The site provides context regarding the transition from the Hallstatt to the La Tène period. Researchers identified the interred individual as a man of approximately 40 years of age.
The raised viewing platform providing a full vantage point of the reconstructed burial chamber.
Combine your visit with a walk through the surrounding orchard landscape.
Check the official website for rotating special exhibitions focused on experimental archaeology.
Read the provided information panels carefully, as they detail the sophisticated preservation methods used for the timber.
Don't mistake the museum for a standard historical gallery; it is a specialized site focused on a single archaeological context.
Closed on Mondays.
