A museum guesthouse is a special type of museum.

A museum in its traditional meaning is a place, thanks to which the collection of certain material objects presents proof of the past. These objects do not only tell us about a given epoch, but also enrich us with its personal experience, with an emotional image of the epoch.

A museum in the form of a guesthouse is an active form of museology; it is a form in which the exhibit is not simply viewed, but can be used according to its original purpose.

From the point of view of the visitor, museology in practice is a higher form of exposition. Objects presented in this way are transferred from a far distant past in a fuller manner.

In a museum guesthouse or hotel, the visitor – and at the same time inhabitant – is surrounded by proof of the past to such an extent that one gets the impression that it is not objects from past times that have been brought into the present, but that one is experiencing a journey in time. The walls, furniture, objects of everyday use, pictures, photographs – everything from a past epoch – is at their disposal during the days and nights spent there.

This transfer of course cannot and should not be too complete. That could result in not fully knowing where one is in time. One has to remember that a museum guesthouse is also a business. The visitor must have access to all the basic facilities expected in contemporary hotels. The choice, nature and arrangement of these facilities can be both difficult and delicate, requiring a great deal of intuition from the owner or the manager of the hotel or guesthouse.