Deutsches Stuhlmuseum Eimbeckhausen

About the museum

Eimbeckhausen, today a district of Bad Münder, is considered the starting point of the chair industry in the Deister-Süntel valley. From around 1820, chair making developed here into a defining branch of the economy; in the years after World War II well over 10,000 people worked in the sector, and the valley was at times the largest chair-producing region in Germany. A chair in the village coat of arms still recalls this today.

Starting in 1996, a collection of chairs was assembled. In 2003 the museum association took over the three-story building of the former Wente & Söhne chair factory from the 1950s. The first floor houses the exhibition and museum café, the upper floors workshops and an archive; an annex holds the former drying chambers and the timber store.

The collection comprises more than 1,200 seating pieces made of wood, plastic, and metal from the Renaissance to the present, of which a selection is shown at any one time. Many pieces were restored in the museum's own workshops, where volunteer carpenters, chair makers, upholsterers, and weavers pass on their knowledge. Old woodworking machines, short films, and information panels explain production in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Highlights

• More than 1,200 chairs from several centuries
• Woodworking machines of the chair industry more than 100 years old
• Former Wente & Söhne chair factory as the museum building
• Workshops for restoration, weaving, and upholstery
• Museum café with homemade cakes and a plane tree garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Stühle und mehr – The exhibition, with the sections "Vielfalt des Sitzens" (variety of sitting) and "Vom Baum zum Stuhl" (from tree to chair), shows the stylistic periods of the chair and its handcrafted and industrial production in the Deister-Süntel valley.

Operated by

Deutsches Stuhlmuseum Eimbeckhausen e.V.

Admission & discounts

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 permanent exhibition and café are accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

According to the museum, the permanent exhibition is suitable for families.

Getting there & parking

By car via the B 442, exit Eimbeckhausen; from the A 2, Lauenau interchange, toward Bad Münder. In Eimbeckhausen, the turnoff onto Fritz-Hahne-Straße (near Autohaus Schmidt) is signposted.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café with homemade cakes, in summer also in the garden under the plane tree. Restored chairs are sold in the museum shop.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit