LWL-Museum Glashütte Gernheim
LWL industrial museum in a glassworks of 1812 on the Weser with a glass tower of 1826, live production demonstrations, manor house and workers' houses.
About the museum
The Gernheim glassworks was founded in 1812 by the Bremen merchants Johann Christoph Friedrich Schrader and Cornelius Lampe on the bank of the Weser near Ovenstädt. The river served as a transport route for raw materials and finished goods. Glassmakers came from Lippe, Bohemia, Saxony and other regions; by 1830, rows of half-timbered houses with around 30 apartments were built for them, which today count among the oldest surviving workers' settlements in Westphalia.
A small factory village grew up around the production, with a grinding shop, basket-weaving shop, school, inn and the residence of the manufacturer's family. In 1826, the striking brick glassworks tower with a third melting furnace was added. The works made window glass, bottles, drinking glasses, laboratory vessels and refined luxury glassware, some of which was exported as far as overseas. Production ended in 1877.
After a long period of decay, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe took over the site in 1983, restored the buildings and opened the museum on November 7, 1998, as a site of the LWL-Museen für Industriekultur (LWL Museums of Industrial Heritage). In the glass tower, glassmakers now show in a live production demonstration how glass is shaped in front of the furnace. The manor house tells of the everyday life of the Schrader manufacturing family and shows glassware from the works' production, while a workers' apartment conveys the life of the glassmaker families.
Highlights
- Glassworks tower of 1826 with live production demonstrations
- Manor house of the Schrader manufacturing family with a garden on the Weser
- Rows of workers' houses from around 1830
- Glassware from the historic works' production
- Marble run and chime for children
- Museum shop with glassware made in Gernheim
Permanent exhibitions
- Glasturm und Schauproduktion – In the cone tower of 1826, you can watch glassmakers shape glasses at the furnace and explore the technology of historic glassmaking.
- Herrenhaus – The exhibition on the first floor shows the everyday life of the Schrader manufacturing family and glassware from Gernheim production; behind it lies the reconstructed garden.
- Die Arbeiterwohnungen – The glassmakers' rows of houses are among the oldest surviving workers' housing in Westphalia and offer insight into the life of the workforce.
- Founded
- 1998
- Operated by
- Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Recipients of benefits under SGB II and XII, students up to age 30, trainees, volunteer service participants, people with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more, holders of the Ehrenamtskarte NRW |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and young people up to age 17 as well as school classes free. |
| Seniors | –No senior concession offered. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3companion free · From a degree of disability (GdB) of 50. |
| Students & apprentices | €3Up to age 30. |
| Groups (16+ people) | €5 per personAdults in groups of 16 or more. |
| Families | –No family ticket; children up to age 17 free. |
| LWL/LVR annual pass "Ich und Du" (two adults, 31 museums) | €70 |
| LWL/LVR annual pass, single | €50 |
| LWL/LVR annual pass, single, reduced | €15For pupils, students, trainees, volunteer service participants, recipients of SGB II/XII benefits and people with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more. |
Free admission: On individual free-admission days of the LWL museums.
Free admission with the LWL-MuseumsCard, LVR-Museumskarte and for members of the Deutscher Museumsbund and ICOM.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
Certified under "Reisen für Alle" (Travel for All). Buildings accessible without steps, partly via elevators in the manor house and the basket-weaving shop; wheelchair-accessible restrooms in the basket-weaving shop, manor house and at the glass tower; two accessible parking spaces. Tactile models in the manor house and the grinding shop, short guide in Easy Language at the ticket desk. Cobblestones in places. Seated tours on the step-free terrace ("Gernheim Panorama"); LWL tours with sign language interpretation.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Playground / play area
- Kids’ birthday parties
Family tour every second Sunday of the month; museum scavenger hunt with a map to borrow at the entrance; chime with glasses and marble run tower with a slide. Children's birthday parties with crafts for ages 6 to 14. A public road crosses the grounds.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Petershagen-Ovenstädt Gernheim
From Minden station to the ZOB (bus station) (including buses 6, 7, 10, 509, 605), then take line 501 to "Petershagen Marktplatz" and then line 530 toward Uchte or the TaxiBus (register up to 30 minutes in advance at 05231 977681) to "Petershagen-Ovenstädt Gernheim."
By car
Parking available
Visitor parking lot on Ovenstädter Straße (GPS: near house no. 39), on the other side of the main road opposite the entrance; two accessible parking spaces.
- Accessible parking
Via the A2, exit Porta Westfalica, B 482 to Lahde, then B 61 toward Bremen and right toward Ovenstädt. Reachable by bike via the Radkult(o)ur route, among others.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
No restaurant on the grounds; the shop sells cold drinks. Picnicking is possible in open areas, such as the manor house garden. Shop with glassware made in Gernheim, glass art and bead jewelry.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public museum tour Sundays at 14:00 (except during major events) and Tuesdays at 15:00; family tour every second Sunday of the month at 11:00; changing themed offerings on Thursdays and Fridays. Group tours €45 plus admission, max. 12–16 people, booking at least 5 working days in advance (tel. 05707 9311-213, glashuette-gernheim-anmeldung@lwl.org), also in English, French or Low German. No group tours between 13:00 and 14:00 (glassmakers' lunch break 13:30–14:30). Please request commercial photography and filming at least three days in advance. Dogs on a leash only in the outdoor grounds. |
