Glasmuseum Bad Driburg

About the museum

Bad Driburg, on the edge of the Egge Hills, has been tied to glass for centuries: finds of furnace foundations date back to around 1100, and from the 16th century the prince-bishops of Paderborn deliberately brought glassmakers into the heavily forested area. With the railway connection in 1864, coal-fired glass factories replaced the old forest glassworks; at the same time a significant glass trade developed that still shapes the town today.

The museum aims to document this tradition as a center of glass production and trade. It is located in the Heinz-Koch-Haus, a brick building with half-timbered gables built around 1900, which long served as the vicar's residence and is therefore also known locally as the "Alte Vikarie" (old vicarage). The house is named after the glass wholesaler and honorary citizen Heinz Koch, an important patron. Since 2006 the museum has been housed here again after a period in storage elsewhere.

The house is run exclusively by volunteers of the Förderverein Glasmuseum Bad Driburg e.V. (friends' association). On several floors, around 2,000 objects show tools, models, and glassware from local production, spa-well and pharmacy glasses from the town's spa history, and a separate floor on the glass trade. Contemporary glass art from Bad Driburg, for example by Heiner Düsterhaus and the Vera Walther workshop, is also part of the exhibition; special exhibitions are added at irregular intervals.

Highlights

• Driburg glassmakers' banner made of glass
• Seven-star goblet from around 1880
• Model of a medieval beehive glass furnace
• Spring-water glasses and mineral water bottles from the spa history
• Floor on the history of the glass trade
• Glass art by Heiner Düsterhaus and Vera Walther

Permanent exhibitions

• Glasherstellung in Bad Driburg – From the medieval forest glassworks to industrial pressed-glass production: tools, models, and glassware show the development of local glass production.
• Glashandel – A separate floor is devoted to the Driburg glass traders, from the beginnings to today's major trading companies.
• Heilbad und Glas – Mineral water bottles, drinking cups, and pharmaceutical glassware tell of the connection between the glass industry and the spa business.

Operated by

Förderverein Glasmuseum Bad Driburg e.V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission, donations welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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 museum is certified as accessible.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small museum shop, including glass objects by Heiner Düsterhaus.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit