Haus der Stadtgeschichte
Municipal museum and city archive in Kamen's former district court: city history from the Germanic settlement to today, free admission.
About the museum
The building on Bahnhofstraße was erected as the Royal Prussian District Court and inaugurated in 1896; the listed Historicist-style building is still owned by the city. After the court moved out in the 1950s, the municipal building departments used the house first, and from the mid-1970s the district and city library.
After the library moved out in 1999, the council decided to restore the building in keeping with its listed status for the archive and museum. The city archive moved in in September 2001, and the museum opened on October 2, 2002, with an exhibition on city history and a retrospective of the Kamen artist Lothar Kampmann. The museum is supported by a friends' association founded in 1999.
Since 2012, the museum floor has shown a newly designed, chronologically structured permanent exhibition: archaeological finds from the Germanic settlement of Westick, including Roman statuettes of gods, a city model from around 1750, the crafts of the agricultural town (Ackerbürgerstadt), hard coal mining with a walk-in replica mine tunnel, as well as Jewish life and the Nazi era in Kamen. In addition, special exhibitions, lectures, and concerts take place.
Highlights
- Finds from the Germanic settlement of Westick with Roman figures of gods
- City model "Kamen um 1750" (Kamen around 1750)
- Knight's helmets and chain mail coifs for children to try on
- Walk-in mine tunnel on the history of mining
- Historic district court building from 1896
Permanent exhibitions
- Dauerausstellung zur Kamener Stadtgeschichte – Chronological tour from Germanic settlement through the Middle Ages, crafts, and mining to Jewish life and the Nazi era in Kamen.
- Founded
- 2002
- Operated by
- Stadt Kamen
- Director
- Herr Badermann
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups | –Group tours free of charge by arrangement. |
|---|
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Hands-on stations
In the Middle Ages section, children can try on knight's helmets and chain mail coifs; in the mining area, a small tunnel can be walked through.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Stadthalle
VKU bus lines C21, C23, C24, R11, R12, R81, and S80 to the stop Stadthalle
By car
Parking available
Parking available at the building.
By car via the A1, exit Kamen-Zentrum, then B233 toward Kamen, exit Zentrum and turn right onto Bahnhofstraße.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Small museum shop of the friends' association with publications and the Kamen museum wine.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The exhibition is self-explanatory; free group tours can be booked with the museum staff. Films on archaeology, shoemaking, and mining run at three media stations. The city archive in the same building is accessible Tue–Thu. |
