Heimatmuseum Mittenwalde

About the museum

The half-timbered house at Salzmarkt 5 stands on a plot where a solid building with a fieldstone cellar already stood in the early 16th century. The present house was built in the 17th or 18th century; the vaulted cellars of a predecessor building have been preserved. Around 1840 a carpenter lived here, and the family remained the owner until 1998. Managed by the town since 1953, the building fell into disrepair and was uninhabitable from the 1980s.

In the late 1990s, the town of Mittenwalde acquired the listed house and had it renovated with funds from the federal government, the state, the municipality, and donations. In October 2001 it handed the house over to the Heimatverein, founded in 1993, which opened its museum of town history here in June 2002 and has run it on a volunteer basis ever since.

In several rooms, the exhibition tells of the more than 700-year history of the farming town, which was important in the Middle Ages as a salt transshipment point – from economic life through town fires and epidemics to personalities such as the hymn writer Paul Gerhardt. The museum includes a historic forge, whose tools club members have restored and where smithing takes place on special occasions. Since 2005, about 90 grapevines have grown in the garden, recalling the town's former winegrowing tradition.

Highlights

• Half-timbered house with historic vaulted cellars
• Museum forge with live smithing demonstrations
• Museum vineyard with about 90 grapevines
• Paul Gerhardt and the town's history

Permanent exhibitions

• Museum zur Stadtgeschichte – A tour through the history of Mittenwalde from the Middle Ages to modern times, with living rooms, a vaulted cellar, and topics such as trade, town fires, and Paul Gerhardt.
• Museums-Schmiede – Historic workshop with restored tools and machines of Mittenwalde's last blacksmith and a working transmission drive.

Founded

2002

Operated by

Heimatverein Mittenwalde e.V.

Admission & discounts

For registered groups, a coffee and cake set is available at the museum after a museum visit or town tour.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• 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

Step-free access to the first floor as well as to the garden and forge; the second and third floors are not wheelchair-accessible, but a virtual tour is available. Accessible restroom (not usable in winter). No designated accessible parking spaces, stopping directly in front of the house is possible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

For school classes from grade 6, there is a museum day with a student town walk and forging a nail or small heart in the museum forge (long-term registration required). On event days, visitors can lend a hand with the smithing themselves.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the historic center of Mittenwalde on Salzmarkt.

Amenities & dining

Coffee and cake set for registered groups by arrangement.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit