As the former home of Brilon's important Hövener family of entrepreneurs from the coal and steel industry, Museum Haus Hövener invites its visitors on a journey through Brilon's economic, social and cultural history. The last owner and founder of the "Briloner Eisenberg und Gewerke - Stadtmuseum Brilon" foundation, Wilhelmine Hövener, made hardly any changes to the house and its furnishings during her lifetime, so that the house has largely been preserved in its 1910 condition. The owner family, which was active in mining and ironworks for more than four centuries, left an extensive inventory of furniture, ancestral gallery, business archive and specialized library. This gives visitors the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of a mining region. A highlight in Haus Hövener is the interactive town model, which gives visitors an insight into Brilon town life in past centuries.
The regional earth history also has a special feature to offer. The original bones of the dinosaur Iguanodon, discovered in 1978 in a quarry near Brilon-Nehden, as well as a skeleton reconstruction and a dinosaur model are on display in the historic vaulted cellar.