Holzhandwerksmuseum Hiddenhausen
Volunteer-run museum in two Baroque tithe barns at Gut Hiddenhausen with more than 1,500 historic woodworking tools and machines.
About the museum
The foundation of the Holzhandwerksmuseum (woodcraft museum) is the tool collection of Heinrich Möhlmann of Hiddenhausen, a retired civil servant who had been enthusiastic about wood since childhood. Together with friends, he gathered old hand tools and woodworking machines from carpentry shops and workshops that would otherwise have been scrapped. In 1995 the collectors, with further supporters, founded the Förderverein für das Holzhandwerksmuseum im Kreis Herford (friends' association), which still runs the museum on a volunteer basis today.
The initiators found two half-timbered barns from 1723 and 1742 on the listed Gut Hiddenhausen estate, originally used as tithe barns, as the exhibition buildings. After extensive restoration, the first woodcraft museum in East Westphalia-Lippe opened in 1997.
On display are more than 1,500 objects from the time before the middle of the 20th century, including a fully equipped carpentry workshop and tools from carpentry, wheelwrighting, woodturning, cooperage, and clog making. Alongside the museum, the KulturWerkstatt offers courses and events, and a café is located in the former workshop next door.
Highlights
- More than 1,500 historic tools and machines
- Fully equipped carpentry workshop
- Two tithe barns from 1723 and 1742
- Location on the Baroque Gut Hiddenhausen estate
- Children's birthday parties with hands-on workshop activities
Permanent exhibitions
- Werkzeuge und Maschinen des Holzhandwerks – Collection of historic hand tools and machine tools from various woodworking trades in two half-timbered barns, with a fully equipped carpentry workshop.
- Founded
- 1997
- Operated by
- Förderverein für das Holzhandwerksmuseum im Kreis Herford e.V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €1free up to age 11 · Also €1 for special exhibitions. |
| Groups | –Guided tours: base fee €30 plus admission. |
| Admission for special exhibitions (adults) | €3 |
| Guided tour (base fee plus admission) | €30 |
| Children's birthday party (base fee) | €30Plus adult admission and €3–15 for materials per child. |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 11 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Kids’ birthday parties
Children's birthday parties with crafts or workshop activities by appointment, also outside opening hours.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Parking lot right at the museum; also roadside parking on Maschstraße (K36), on the street Unter der Weide, and on Neuer Weg by the cemetery.
Amenities & dining
- Café
Café Alte Werkstatt right next to the museum (breakfast on Sundays from 10:00, cake from 14:00).
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 | Guided tours by appointment at tel. 05223 84882 or kontakt@holzhandwerksmuseum.de. |
