A special exhibit in Hof currently combines medieval history with modern technology: for the exhibition “Princess or nun? Margarethe von Brandenburg and the Hof Poor Clares Monastery”, a detailed 3D model of the historic monastery was produced in the “MakerSpace” at Hof University of Applied Sciences.
The model was produced under the direction of René Goehring and based on historical sketches and clearly shows what the monastery might have looked like at the time of Abbess Margarethe of Brandenburg (1453-1509). The interdisciplinary cooperation between the university, Museum Bayerisches Vogtland and Diakonie Hochfranken brings the history of the town to life:
The 3D-printed model gives the exhibition a lively, modern perspective on the medieval monastery – and Hof University of Applied Sciences shows how digital production techniques can enrich cultural-historical topics.”
René Göhring, Technical Director “MakerSpace”
The model and exhibition can be seen from Thursday, October 16, 2025 to January 18, 2026 in the monastery gallery of Diakonie Hochfranken at Klostertor in Hof. The exhibition will then move on to the Museum Bayerisches Vogtland, where it can be visited from January 27 to April 13, 2026.
About the exhibition:
The historical female figure for Hof was called Margarethe of Brandenburg and lived in the late Middle Ages. She was a real princess from the House of Hohenzollern, and her story actually began like a cliché: she didn’t want to go to a convent at all! But her father, the famous Margrave and later Elector Albrecht Achilles, refused to relent and took her to the Poor Clares convent in Hof when she was just 15 years old. He had previously had her placed under arrest at Plassenburg Castle because she was in acute danger of escaping. But she did not simply accept her fate. With courage, political intuition and a sense of status, she achieved personal privileges, influence and an important office.
The exhibition first tells Margaret’s story at the original location: the former convent of the Poor Clares in Hof. It shows a woman who conquered freedom where others only expected retreat. In addition to Margarethe’s biography, the exhibition also introduces visitors to the history of the Poor Clares convent in Hof and shows the world of a noble order of women in the late Middle Ages. This creates a multi-layered picture between personal fate and everyday monastic life. The exhibition invites visitors to question conventional ideas about women’s lives in the late Middle Ages – and to rediscover the opportunities for noble women to act and be active.
