Welcome to the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

Take the journey with Prince Carl and his group of German colonists as they cross the ocean and make their way into central Texas. Admire their courage and determination to establish a new colony at the edge of Indian Territory. Exhibits, rich in local artifacts, photographic images, maps and documents, take visitors through the history and cultural heritage of New Braunfels and Comal County. The Sophienburg Museum offers public lectures, school programs and community events that promote the area’s unique history.

Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home from 1923 to the present in the same family
November 19, 2023
By Myra Lee Adams Goff — It’s the same business, in the same place, run by the same family for 100 years. That’s Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home, now involving the fourth generation. And it doesn’t look …Read more >
True Crime Series: Local farmer and son murdered in Austin
November 5, 2023
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — It was very early in the morning, still dark, but they had far to go. As Conrad gave a final tug on the ropes securing the six bales of cotton …Read more >
The story of Ma’s Cafe
October 22, 2023
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — I often think about living in New Braunfels and how fortunate we are to have wonderful century-old buildings everywhere. I don’t necessarily think about that when I am trying to …Read more >
Sophienburg — guardians of history for 90 years
October 8, 2023
Tara V. Kohlenberg — Ninety years ago, on October 8, 1933, New Braunfels celebrated the grand opening and dedication of the new Sophienburg Memorial Museum and Library, erected in honor of those pioneers who founded …Read more >