‘447 – A Frankish warrior on his way to the afterlife’

From 5 to 24 August, the unique archaeological summer exhibition ‘447 – A Frankish Warrior on His Way to the Afterlife’ will take place at the kING Culture and Congress Hall in Ingelheim under the patronage of Rhineland-Palatinate’s Minister of the Interior, Michael Ebling. Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH (IkUM) and the Kaiserpfalz Ingelheim Archaeological Research Centre will present the spectacular finds from a Frankish warrior’s grave that remained untouched for 1,400 years and was discovered in Ingelheim in 2023. The exhibition aims to give visitors a vivid impression of what Ingelheim might have looked like during the man’s lifetime in the 7th century.
The discovery of grave no. 447 in 2023 caused a minor sensation: in the middle of two graves that had already been plundered in the Middle Ages, researchers came across a completely untouched burial. The grave robbers had apparently overlooked it, so that the Frankish warrior could be recovered after almost 1400 years – with all his grave goods and a wealth of valuable information about the fashion and customs of society in early medieval Ingelheim.
The press release about the ‘Franconian warrior armed to the teeth’ literally went around the world at the time, even making the news in newspapers in the USA. This was also due to the impressive arsenal of weapons belonging to the man from grave 447, which had been given to him on his journey to the afterlife.
In August 2025, the warrior will be on public display for the first time in Ingelheim, so that anyone interested can catch a glimpse of him. The exhibition will take place at an extraordinary location: the kING – normally a venue for cultural and congress events – will open its doors for three weeks for this exclusive archaeological summer exhibition. The multimedia presentation in the Great Hall transports visitors back to the time of the early medieval row grave civilisation. Scientific analyses of the bones and teeth reveal a surprising amount about this man who lived in Ingelheim in the 7th century. Thanks to intensive archaeological research over the last 30 years, a surprising amount is also known about his life. Visitors can experience an impressive reconstruction of the Frankish warrior thanks to the latest technology.
The exhibition is open daily from 5 to 24 August at the kING Culture and Congress Hall, Fridtjof-Nansen-Platz 5, 55218 Ingelheim. Admission costs £5 for adults (concessions £3). Children and young people up to the age of 14 are admitted free of charge, but must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is also free for school classes. Special age-appropriate school tours are offered for school classes from Year 5 onwards.
The exhibition ‘447 – A Frankish Warrior on his Way to the Afterlife’ is organised by Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH (IkUM) in cooperation with the Archaeological Research Centre Kaiserpfalz of the City of Ingelheim. The exhibition is supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage of Rhineland-Palatinate, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, and MitMachAusstellung e.V.

‘447 – A Frankish Warrior on his Way to the Afterlife’
5–24 August 2025
kING Culture and Congress Hall
Fridtjof-Nansen-Platz 5, 55218 Ingelheim

Opening hours
Mon–Thu 12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Fri 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sat 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

All information about the exhibition, bookable and public tours, and the supporting programme can be found at
King | 447 – A Frankish warrior on his way to the afterlife