Feuerwehrmuseum Ellrich

About the museum

The Ellrich fire brigade museum grew out of old firefighting equipment that the brigade kept for decades for the town's parades – for example in 1937, 1956 and for the 200th anniversary of the Ellrich fire brigade in 1965. When the dilapidated municipal fire engine house was due to be demolished in spring 1987, young firefighters led by Manfred Müller persuaded the town council to preserve it instead. The “Aktion Spritzenhaus” began in February 1987 with the recovery of an old wooden fire pump from Hörningen and a hand hose cart.

The fire engine house, built in 1876, stands on the Brauhof by the town wall, right next to the medieval Ravensturm tower. It housed the compulsory fire brigade founded in 1881; the twelve-metre wooden drill tower was added in 1909. After the volunteer fire brigade moved to a new depot in 1936, the building was put to other uses and fell into disrepair. Once the Ravensturm had been restored, job-creation workers, the fire brigade association and the town fire brigade converted the interior into a museum in 1999/2000. It was officially opened on Heritage Open Day, 9 September 2001, and in the same year it was admitted to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Feuerwehrmuseen in Deutschland, the association of German fire brigade museums.

The museum tells the history of firefighting in Ellrich and the Nordhausen district – from the Prussian era to fire protection in the GDR, when the town lay directly on the inner-German border. It is spread across several sites: buildings at the railway station, where the town fire brigade now has its fire station, were added in 2008, and the village fire engine house in Sülzhayn in 2012. All three sites have been listed as cultural monuments since 2012. The collection also includes vehicles such as an S 4000-1 water tender from 1965, which take part in parades and fire brigade anniversaries. The museum is run through the voluntary commitment of the firefighters.

Highlights

• Historic hand-operated fire pumps, hand hose carts and Magirus patent ladders
• Fire engine house from 1876 with a wooden drill tower next to the medieval Ravensturm
• Nazi-era air-raid shelter with gas lock, emergency toilet and emergency exit at the railway station
• Former station well converted into a firefighting water cistern
• Village fire engine house in Sülzhayn with the Hamma hand pump and a hand hose cart

Permanent exhibition

• Feuerwehrmuseum im Spritzenhaus – Hand pumps, hand hose carts, ladders and equipment on the history of firefighting in Ellrich and the Nordhausen district, on around 260 m² over four floors.

Founded

2001

Operated by

Stadt Ellrich (betreut von der Stadtfeuerwehr Ellrich)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• 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 in the historic fire engine house is spread over four floors; no information on accessibility has been published.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the town centre: from the market square along Ravenstraße to the Brauhof with the fire engine house and the Ravensturm.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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