felto – Filzwelt Soltau

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Soltau has been a site of industrial felt production since the mid-19th century; in 1922 a department of the company Carl Breiding & Sohn gave rise to the felt factory Gebr. Röders. Its factory grounds lie in the middle of the town centre. A warehouse from 1877, rebuilt after a fire in 1886 and later used as a store and archive, became the core of today's museum.

The idea of a felt world emerged in the mid-2000s as a cooperation between the company and the Stiftung Spiel, which already runs the neighbouring Spielmuseum. After a feasibility study and revised plans, conversion began in 2014, funded mainly by EU money as well as foundations, the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and regional partners. The only external addition is the roughly 24-metre-high lift tower with a viewing balcony.

On 1 August 2015, felto opened as a non-profit cultural and educational institution. Across five floors and about 1,500 square metres, the building combines museum and science centre: it explains the properties, production and uses of felt, shows crafts from around the world and invites visitors to make things themselves. A small team works together with volunteers and employees of a workshop for people with disabilities.

Highlights

• Model production line from wool fleece to felt sheet
• Experiment stations and twilight ark for listening and touching
• "SpielFelt" play landscape for children
• Panorama with over 100 historic Steiff figures made of felt
• Viewing balcony in the lift tower above the rooftops of Soltau
• Open felting every Wednesday, included in admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Phänomen Filz – On the first floor, a film, experiments, a listening and touching ark and a play landscape explain what makes felt special.
• Produktion – A model production line and felting tables show the path from wool to fabric, complemented by environmental footprint and factory and town history.
• Produkte – Felt in everyday life, technology, art and design – from slippers and sewer renovation to a panorama of historic Steiff figures.

Founded

2015

Operated by

felto – Filzwelt Soltau gGmbH

Director

Mathias Ernst

Admission & discounts

Open felting and the open Saturday tour are included in admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair-accessible building with a lift tower and tactile guidance system; many stations with texts in Easy Language, tactile exhibits in the twilight ark.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

"SpielFelt" play landscape, experiment stations and felting tables to try out. Children's birthday parties with house exploration, Flitzefilz competition or felting (2 hours, from €80 incl. admission). Pre-school children accompanied by an adult enter free, parents pay for one child at most.

Getting there & parking

Via the A7, exit Soltau-Ost (from the direction of Hamburg) or Soltau-Süd (from the direction of Hannover and Bremen). The museum is in the middle of the pedestrian zone; the lift tower with the felto lettering is visible from afar.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Felt market with items from around the world and a world shop on the ground floor.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 150 guests.

Air-conditioned event room in the attic with projector, screen, sound system and preparation kitchen, flexible seating for up to 150 people; rental prices graded for non-profit organisations, private individuals and companies.

Plan your visit