Geburtshaus von Nicolaus August Otto
Free museum in the birth house of the inventor of the Otto engine in Holzhausen an der Haide, with original Otto engines on display.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Nicolaus August Otto, the inventor of the four-stroke Otto engine, was born in Holzhausen an der Haide. His birth house, a building erected around 1705, came in 1962 to the engine manufacturer Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz. In 1966 a small memorial room with display cases and documents first took shape there; in 1976, the 100th anniversary of the four-stroke engine, it was redesigned and showed five historical engines, a bust and display cases.
In 1991 the Oldtimer-Club Nicolaus August Otto was founded; it looks after and supplements the exhibits, restores vehicles and engines, and builds up an archive. In 1993 the company sold the house and property to the municipality of Holzhausen, which contractually committed itself to continue showing the engine collection there; the exhibits remained the company's property. Between 1994 and 1997 the building was renovated: the municipal administration moved into the upper floor, and since then the entire ground floor has served as a memorial site.
The redesigned surroundings include a glass pavilion with a historic Deutz wood-gas engine installation and a large-engine crankshaft as a monument. The memorial site was opened on May 25, 1997, with a museum festival and a vintage car exhibition. It shows some of the few original Otto engines still surviving, together with information on engine development and the life of the inventor.
Highlights
- Original Otto engines, of which only a few survive worldwide
- Information on engine development and the life of N. A. Otto
- Glass pavilion with Deutz wood-gas engine installation
- Free admission
- Museum festival with vintage car exhibition on the first Sunday in June
Permanent exhibition
- Nicolaus-August-Otto-Erinnerungsstätte – Original Otto engines and information on the development of the four-stroke engine and on its inventor, on the ground floor of his birth house.
- Operated by
- Oldtimer-Club Nicolaus August Otto e. V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Holzhausen Otto Museum (Bus) · 50 m
By car
Parking available
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 |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Museum tours and registration at 0160 4512898. |
