As the former home of the important Brilon entrepreneurial family Hövener from the coal and steel industry, Museum Haus Hövener invites visitors on a journey through Brilon's economic, social and cultural history. The last owner and founder of the "Brilon Eisenberg and Trades - Brilon City Museum" foundation, Wilhelmine Hövener, hardly changed anything in the house or its furnishings during her lifetime, meaning that the house has been largely preserved in its 1910 condition. The owner family, who worked in the mining and iron and steel industry for over four centuries, left behind an extensive inventory of furniture, an ancestral gallery, business archives and a specialist library. This gives visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of a mining region. A highlight in Haus Hövener is the interactive model of the town, which gives visitors an insight into Brilon town life in past centuries.
The regional geological history also has a special feature to offer. The original bones of the dinosaur Iguanodon, which were discovered in a quarry near Brilon Nehden in 1978, as well as a skeleton reconstruction and a dinosaur model are on display in the historic vaulted cellar.