Gärtnermuseum Wolfenbüttel
Historic gardeners' Streckhof on Neuer Weg in Wolfenbüttel: museum on the almost 300-year tradition of market gardening, open on event days.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Vegetable growing shaped Wolfenbüttel for centuries. As early as the 16th century, court officials and citizens laid out gardens on ducal land outside the town gates, which were worked by garden hands. When the court moved to Braunschweig in the mid-18th century, the servants and farmhands who stayed behind took over the plots, and a distinct profession of market gardeners emerged. In the 1950s Wolfenbüttel was the largest vegetable-growing area in Lower Saxony; after that the number of businesses fell sharply.
To preserve this tradition, the Gärtnermuseum Wolfenbüttel association was founded in February 2001 on the initiative of Sighild Salzmann. In 2007 it acquired one of the few surviving Streckhöfe typical of the town, at Neuer Weg 33, and renovated the ensemble of residential house, middle building, wash house, coach house and stable with the support of numerous foundations and private donors. Since 2022 the museum has presented a redesigned exhibition.
On show are furniture, documents, photographs and working tools that tell of the everyday life of gardener families, of the cultivation and marketing of regional fruit and vegetable varieties. A small garden belongs to the farmstead. The volunteer-run association opens the house for event days such as Tomato Day, Strawberry Day, Apple Day or the Advent market, for lectures and, by arrangement, for groups; together with the Museum Wolfenbüttel it offers programmes for schools.
Highlights
- Typical Wolfenbüttel gardeners' Streckhof with residential house, coach house and stable
- Working tools, furniture and photos from the everyday life of market gardeners
- Event days such as Tomato Day, Strawberry Day and Apple Day
- Courtyard garden in the middle of the town
Permanent exhibition
- Gärtnertradition in Wolfenbüttel – Exhibition in the historic Streckhof on the work and everyday life of Wolfenbüttel's market gardeners with furniture, pictures, documents and tools; redesigned since 2022.
- Operated by
- Gärtnermuseum Wolfenbüttel e.V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Adults | free |
|---|---|
| Groups | –A donation is requested for group visits and tours. |
Admission to the public events is free, donations welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
School project for primary school children and event days throughout the year; according to the town of Wolfenbüttel, the farmstead with its garden is an experience for young and old.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Mittelweg
BSVG and KVG buses to the Mittelweg stop directly in front of the museum.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no parking on the museum grounds or neighbouring properties; public parking in the vicinity.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups by arrangement, led by volunteers. School project "Unter der Oberfläche" (Beneath the Surface) on gardening and sustainability for grades 1–5 (two sessions of 1.5 hours, €5 per child), booking via the museum education department of the Museum Wolfenbüttel. |
