Dorfmuseum Meierhof
Volunteer-run village museum in Hattorf am Harz with many hands-on stations on country life, crafts, everyday life and textile production.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is run by the Association for Low German and Village History Hattorf am Harz, founded in 2003 by 19 people. It grew out of a circle of older Hattorf residents who had been meeting since 1987 to speak Low German. The first exhibits from agriculture and forestry, household and crafts were initially shown on the farm of the founding chairman Helmut Fischer – a property known in the village as Meierhof. A Meierhof was originally the seat of the stewards of a noble landlord.
In 2015 the collection moved to a new location and took the name with it. Bureaucratic and financial hurdles delayed the conversion of the new farm until 2019; with grants, support from the municipality and more than 8,000 hours of volunteer work, a museum building was created that opened in July 2022.
On three floors and over 500 square metres, the exhibition covers village life, crafts and trade, everyday life and family, as well as the path from the spinning room to the industrial worsted spinning mill. Numerous active stations let visitors experience the themes with all their senses; the DorfMuseumSchule project has produced programmes for primary schools and kindergartens. A 3D tour on the website complements the visit on site.
Highlights
- Active stations to try out for young and old
- From the spinning room to the worsted spinning mill
- Crafts and trade in the village
- Online 3D tour with video and audio contributions
- Preservation of the Low German language
Permanent exhibitions
- Dörfliches Leben – Work and life in the village of earlier times, when everyday life was shaped above all by agriculture.
- Handwerk und Handel – How craft skill became barter and finally trade – with tools and implements of Hattorf craftsmen.
- Textilien – Der Weg zur Industrialisierung – From the domestic spinning room to the automated worsted spinning mill.
- Founded
- 2003
- Operated by
- Verein für Plattdeutsch und Dorfgeschichte Hattorf am Harz e. V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups | €12 per personDetailed tour with museum guide followed by a coffee table with cake, €12 per person; further offers by arrangement. |
|---|
No fixed admission; the association asks for a donation of €3 per person.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- 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
Accessible toilets and step-free access to the exhibition on the ground floor; the other floors can additionally be experienced via the 3D tour on the website.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Numerous active stations invite children and adults to join in; for kindergartens and primary schools there are projects such as “From Grain to Bread” or a meadow day. Occasional family activities on open Sundays.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
On open museum days, coffee, Eisenkuchen (waffle-style cake) and other drinks.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | On the open Sundays a trained museum guide is on site; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, visits are without a guide. Programmes for primary schools and kindergartens (DorfMuseumSchule). |
