About the Sophienburg Museum and Archives
Established in 1933 by residents of New Braunfels, the Sophienburg Museum and Archives stands on the hill where Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels laid the cornerstone of the original Sophienburg, or "Sophie's Castle," in 1845. Named for his fiancée, Princess Sophie, the fortress served as headquarters for the Adelsverein, the German colonization society that brought thousands of German immigrants to Texas. Named a Texas Historic Site, the museum holds an extensive collection of artifacts reflecting the German-Texan heritage of the area, and in 2022 the Texas Travel Awards named it the best big-market museum in Texas.
The museum's holdings exceed 100,000 artifacts, shown in rotating exhibits that chronicle the journey of the German immigrants who founded New Braunfels in 1845, along with displays on local businesses and community life in Comal County from the mid-1800s forward. Copies of Prince Carl's correspondence with the Adelsverein and county and city government papers document the settlement's first decades. An online American 250 "Digitalkammer" exhibit, a podcast, a newsletter, public lectures, and community events extend the museum's reach, and two spaces, the Emmie Seele Faust Library and the Malmstead Pavilion, are available for event rentals.
Collections and Research Services
The archives house more than one million photographs, documents, and maps, making the Sophienburg one of the largest repositories chronicling the German immigration movement to Texas. Holdings include newspapers dating back to 1852, more than 300,000 photographic negatives, oral history recordings, government and church records, manuscripts, maps, veterans' records, and extensive genealogical information. The Comal County Genealogy Society keeps its entire research collection here: a 1,200-volume reference library on New Braunfels and other Texas counties, 19th-century county and church records, cemetery records, ship passenger lists for Germans arriving through Galveston, and nearly 500 researched family genealogies. The "Reflections" oral history program, begun in 1976, records interviews in the museum's studio and airs on KGNB 1420 AM every Sunday at 9 a.m.; recordings are searchable online and sold on CD for $25. Archives are open for research by appointment only, Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., through archives@sophienburg.com or (830) 629-1572; research request fees apply, and published-use fees for archive photographs range from $50 to $200. Start with our guides to free family history research and finding where someone is buried to make the most of a visit.
Planning Your Visit
The Sophienburg is at 401 W. Coll Street in downtown New Braunfels, TX 78130; the parking lot is entered from Academy or Magazine streets, with additional spaces in front of the museum, and all museum areas are wheelchair accessible. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Sunday, Monday, and major holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students 13 to 18, $3 for children 6 to 12, $8 per person for pre-booked groups of 20 or more, and free for members and children under 6; active-duty military and their families are admitted free from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Group visits, school tours, "Strudel-Doo" tours, and the traveling trunk program must be booked in advance by calling (830) 629-1572. Sophie's Shop sells books, collectibles, and German-Texan gifts during museum hours; see sophienburg.com for events and programs.
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