Curioseum
Quirky private collection in Willingen-Usseln: classic cars, microcars, tractors, a submarine, model ships and a cabinet of curiosities.
About the museum
The Curioseum goes back to Willingen innkeeper Hans Schlömer, who spent a lifetime collecting vehicles, machines, models and all kinds of curiosities. When the many rented garages and barns were no longer enough for the collection, he had a former farmstead in the village of Usseln converted into an exhibition hall. In 2008 the Oldtimer-Curioseum with Panoptikum opened there, describing itself as "Kitsch, Kunst und Krempel" (kitsch, art and junk).
The exhibition deliberately avoids a conventional museum concept. On two floors connected without steps stand dozens of classic cars and microcars – including Goggomobils, Heinkel bubble cars, an Austin-Healey Sprite, a Jaguar E-Type and vehicles for disabled drivers – along with motorcycles and mopeds of various makes and old tractors. There is also a maritime section with large model ships, dugout canoes and a midget submarine, aircraft and relics of local aviation, as well as workshops and desks from times gone by.
In the Panoptikum, numerous display cases and scenes present the creepy and the absurd, from skeletons to a moon car to movie characters. Many pieces come with tongue-in-cheek stories told during guided tours. The museum is run by the Schlömer-Mütze family, who also operate the Berggasthof Zum Wilddieb inn in Willingen.
Highlights
- Original midget submarine from World War II
- Classic cars and quirky microcars, including an Austin-Healey Sprite "Frosch" ("Frogeye") and a Jaguar E-Type
- Mobile guillotine mounted on a Ford Model T
- Maritime mini-world with large model ships, such as the Bismarck in several scales
- Panoptikum with curiosities in numerous display cases
- Historic tractors and relics of Willingen's aviation history
Permanent exhibitions
- Oldtimer & Microcars – Dozens of cars, microcars, vehicles for disabled drivers, motorcycles, mopeds and tractors, many of them roadworthy and accompanied by anecdotes from the collector's life.
- Panoptikum – Cabinet of curiosities with skeletons, a moon car, movie characters, a cobbler's workshop and countless finds in display cases.
- Maritime Mini-Welt – Model ships from a few centimeters to four meters long, dugout canoes and a real midget submarine.
- Founded
- 2008
- Operated by
- Familie Schlömer-Mütze
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €6.50free up to age 6 · Children up to age 6 free, young people up to age 15 €6.50. |
| Groups | –Group inquiries (including clubs and classic car enthusiasts) directly with the Schlömer-Mütze family at Hotel Wilddieb, tel. 05632 6232. |
Dogs must stay outside.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The exhibition extends over two floors without stairs; according to the tourist information office, the roughly 650 m tour route is accessible.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
The Willingen tourist information office recommends the Curioseum as an outing for the whole family; some scenes in the Panoptikum are deliberately designed to be creepy.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
By bus or train to Willingen station, then by bus or shared on-call taxi (Anrufsammeltaxi) to Usseln.
By car via the B251; the museum is in Usseln on the road to Düdinghausen.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours with stories about the exhibits on request. Dogs are not allowed in the exhibition. |
