Museum Haus Letmathe

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Haus Letmathe is mentioned as early as the 11th century as the seat of the Lords of Letmathe. The present building dates back to a fortified structure built around 1475; the roof timbers have been dendrochronologically dated to 1471/72. From 1576 to 1812 the estate belonged to the von Brabeck family; after that, merchant families owned it and remodeled the house in the Neoclassical style.

In the 20th century the building housed, among other things, an agricultural school before falling into disrepair. After a comprehensive restoration in 2008 and 2009, it is now home to the local history museum and a branch of the city library.

The museum itself was founded in 1935 in the Brabeck School, merged with the collection from Oestrich in 1971 and moved into Haus Letmathe in 1980. After Letmathe was incorporated into Iserlohn, the collection passed to the city as a permanent loan in 1981; the Heimatverein Letmathe e. V. (local heritage society) looks after the house on a volunteer basis, opens it regularly and organizes special exhibitions and lectures in the vaulted cellar.

On the upper floor, the exhibition shows rural living and working, a shoemaker’s and blacksmith’s workshop, the local wire, zinc and Bakelite industries, and Letmathe’s role as a trade and transportation hub on the Lenne River. The timeline reaches back to the Stone Age fortification on the Burgberg in Oestrich.

Highlights

• Late medieval manor house of the von Brabeck family
• Rural living and working environment with workshops
• Room on the wire, zinc and Bakelite industries
• Letmathe as a transportation hub on the Lenne
• Lecture series in the vaulted cellar

Permanent exhibitions

• Heimatmuseum Letmathe – Exhibition on the upper floor about rural life, local industries and the transportation history of the former town of Letmathe.

Founded

1935

Operated by

Stadt Iserlohn (Museen der Stadt Iserlohn); ehrenamtlich betreut vom Heimatverein Letmathe e. V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Passenger elevator to the upper floor (car 90 × 160 cm, door 80 cm). Only the first third of the permanent exhibition and the special exhibition are accessible.

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The building houses a branch of the city library.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit