The Building

The DOMUS PRAESEPIORUM is located in the historic village center of the scenic wine growing village of Klüsserath on the banks of the Moselle River just downstream from the ancient town of Treves.

The museum is located in a three-story wine grower's house build around 1680, expanded in 1725 and again in 1745. It is considered one of the last remaining angled houses of the Moselle region. Its threesome of barn, wine cellar and residential home gives an indication of life at those times.

From 2008 to 2010 the Klüsserather Krippenfreunde (Klüsserath Friends of the Créche) stripped down and rebuild the old building. Although the building was protected by German heritage laws, a permit to demolish it had already been issued due to the extremely bad condition of the building. With significant financial support from the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and many, many hours of work from the members of the Klüsserather Krippenfreunde this architectural gemstone could be saved. Roof, walls, windows and doors needed to be removed, new structural members had to be integrated to regain stability. A new roof was build and many of the old beams saved for later use in the refurbished building.

Featuring a slate roof made of Moselle slate and timber frames from the original, old wood the building now makes a strong statement of historic originality and regional inheritance. Almost the entire interior work was done by volunteers of the Klüsserather Krippenfreunde.

A prominent feature of the building is the main entrance gate, which is a piece of art and at the same time a fully functional doorway. The artist Andreas d'Orfey, a member of the Klüsserather Krippenfreunde, has made the new glass entrance in the facilities of the Glasmalerei Peters in Paderborn in northern Germany. The gate shows the Nativity, Mary's visit to Elisabeth, the shepherds and their flocks, the arrival of the three Magi, the flight into Egypt and also a grapewine, which continues into the trapezoidal window above.

The mouth blown glass window shows "Christus in der Kelter" (Christ in the wine press), a motive found solely in the Moselle region, as well as the Last Supper and the story of the two disciples who meet Jesus on their way to Emmaus. Inspired by the unique landscape of the vineyards of the central Moselle valley, the red scene of "Christus in der Kelter" incorporates the religious background of the House of the Crèches in the face of the building.

 

A Créche featuring DOMUS PRAESEPIROUM

Artwork: the main entrance to the museum

Folkloristic Créche
Logo DOMUS PRAESEPIORUM