The universally educated, enlightenment-honoring Count Franz I. in the southern Hessian Odenwald introduced ivory carving as a radical, future-oriented source of income for his peasants as part of his comprehensive social reforms at the beginning of the 19th century. During its heyday, up to 5,000 people worked in ivory processing in Erbach, creating world-renowned artworks until the ban on ivory in the 1980s. The state-of-the-art re-presentation of the ivories in the historic castle is of the highest aesthetic, very unusual quality. The works seem to float in the precisely lit dark rooms, captivating the viewer.