German National Ethnic Museum (Nemet Nemzetisegi Neprajzi Muzeum), Tata

The object and cultural heritage of the ethnic German inhabitants of Hungary can be explored in the museum. The Baroque-style Nepomucenus Mill houses the collection.

Containing in excess of 5,500 items, the exhibition presents the history, culture and lives of the German inhabitants. Starting with their settlement in areas of the Carpathian Basin left depopulated following the expulsion of the Turkish, it runs up to their forced repatriation after World War II.The collection consists mainly of furniture, utility items and the traditional tools of the peasant culture. Particularly distinctive is the colourful painted furniture. In some communities, Harta for example, the production and use of these traditional pieces has been preserved to this day. In the German settlements of the Transdanubian Mountain Ranges the colourful furniture was gradually superseded by pieces in various shades of brown in the second half of the 19th century.

At the exhibition a prominent place is given to accessories and items of clothing. The hemp textile used for everyday household clothing was produced at home by the German population, as indeed it was in other communities in Hungary. Local weavers generally performed the task of weaving the fabrics. Tools used for hemp processing by the German population are the same as those employed by others in Hungary. The three hemp breakers on display are typical.

The clothing customs of the German population living in Hungary are very diverse and the same styles developed only within smaller areas. Their costumes were generally simpler both in terms of tailoring and colours than those worn by other local ethnicities.