Deutsches Schuhmuseum Hauenstein

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The impetus for the Deutsches Schuhmuseum came in 1986 with the centenary of the shoe industry in Hauenstein, once one of the centers of German shoe manufacturing in the southern Palatinate. After a decade of planning, political debate and fundraising, the museum opened in 1996; as early as 1997 it received an award in the European Museum of the Year competition.

It is housed in the former Gebrüder Schwarzmüller shoe factory. The company was founded in 1895 and in 1929 had a modern factory built on Turnstraße to plans by the Palatinate architect Josef Uhl. The cubic white building in the style of the Neues Bauen (New Building) movement is reminiscent of a shoebox; production ended in 1972, and the building has been a listed monument since 1991.

The museum was initially run by the municipality of Hauenstein; since 2004 it has been a public-law foundation, which the Bezirksverband Pfalz and the district of Südwestpfalz also joined in 2007. After several years of redesign and renovation, the new collection exhibition opened in 2022.

Spread over three levels, it leads from medieval shoemaking through the Palatinate shoe industry and the Nazi era to structural change and today's global issues. The collection includes the historic Tillmann shoe collection, a machine hall, company holdings from firms such as Salamander and Rheinberger, and numerous shoes worn by prominent figures.

Highlights

• The "world's largest shoe" in the entrance area
• Machine hall with more than 50 historic shoemaking machines and demonstrations
• Celebrity shoes, including pairs from Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel and Kylie Minogue
• Ernst Tillmann historic shoe collection
• Listed 1929 factory building of the Gebrüder Schwarzmüller company

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlungsausstellung Schuhproduktion und Schuhkultur – A tour across three floors from medieval shoemaking through the factory era to structural change and current issues in the shoe industry.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Stiftung Deutsches Schuhmuseum (Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts)

Admission & discounts

Prices include the special exhibition. €1 discount with the Pfälzerwald-Card and the Rheinpfalzcard.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• 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

Exhibitions reachable via ramps and an elevator; manual wheelchairs and power wheelchairs suitable for indoor use are permitted. Accessible parking spaces and an accessible restroom according to the Rhineland-Palatinate museum portal.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly

Listed on the Rhineland-Palatinate museum portal as a child-friendly museum. Children under 12 only when accompanied by an adult; strollers are allowed in the exhibition.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Civil and non-religious wedding ceremonies in the glass cube next to the world's largest shoe (room rental €150), optionally with a sparkling-wine reception in the foyer.

Plan your visit