Industriemuseum Herrenwyk

Current exhibitions

About the museum

In the 20th century, Herrenwyk grew from a small village on the Trave River into an industrial suburb of Lübeck. In 1907 the Hochofenwerk Lübeck (Lübeck blast furnace works) began operating here and for decades was one of the city's most important employers; a company housing estate was built for the workforce from 1906/07 onward. After several changes of ownership, the company went bankrupt in 1981, and the plant was dismantled by 1992.

The museum grew out of a history workshop run by what was then Lübeck's Museum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte, which from 1983 to 1985 researched the history of the works together with former employees and residents. An exhibition originally planned for only a short time drew so much interest that the city made it a permanent institution. It is housed in the former company store on the edge of the estate and is now part of the Lübeck museums; since 2017 it has been headed by Bettina Braunmüller, supported by the Verein für Lübecker Industrie- und Arbeiterkultur.

The permanent exhibition tells of work and everyday life at the blast furnace works and in the housing estate, and in 2025 was expanded to cover how Lübeck merchants became factory owners. Other sections are devoted to the Flender shipyard and to forced labor in Lübeck between 1939 and 1945. The collection includes machines and tools from Lübeck companies, office machines, everyday objects of the 20th century, as well as photographs, company records and oral history interviews, including rare aerial photos of the works from 1954 to 1966. Temporary exhibitions, some in cooperation with industrial museums in Elmshorn, Neumünster and Kiel, round out the program.

Highlights

• Authentic site: former company store at the workers' housing estate
• Work and everyday life around the Lübeck blast furnace works
• Section on the history of the Flender shipyard
• Exhibition on forced labor in Lübeck 1939–1945
• Collection of historic office machines and tools
• Free admission for children, young people and students

Permanent exhibitions

• Leben und Arbeit in Herrenwyk – von Kaufleuten zu Fabrikbesitzern – History of the blast furnace works, its workers and the housing estate, and how Lübeck merchant families moved into industry.
• „Ich erinnere mich nur an Tränen und Trauer …“ – Documentation of forced labor in Lübeck companies between 1939 and 1945.
• Flender-Werft – Exhibition section on the history of Lübeck's Flender shipyard and local shipbuilding.

Operated by

Die Lübecker Museen – Kulturstiftung Hansestadt Lübeck

Director

Dr. Bettina Braunmüller

Admission & discounts

Prices valid since April 1, 2026. Free admission also for holders of the LübeckCard and the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card), and for members of the Museumsverband Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg, the Deutscher Museumsbund and ICOM.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials: not available
• Audio description: no information

A small ramp or step at the entrance, and a higher step into some exhibition rooms; with advance notice (0451 122 4195), staff will lay out portable ramps. Restrooms are not accessible. No wheelchairs for loan, but folding stools are available as a walking aid. No hearing loops. Instead of texts in Easy Read German, there is easy-to-understand information for children; tours in plain language by arrangement.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's birthday parties (about two hours) and age-appropriate tours for daycare and school groups; the exhibition has easy-to-understand texts for children. Free admission for children and young people. No strollers for loan; please register a visit with a stroller in advance.

Getting there & parking

By car via the B 75 and the Herrentunnel (toll), via the A 226 (exit Herrenwyk/Siems) or from Travemünde via the B 75 (exit Kücknitz); then via Hochofenstraße and Bäckereistraße to the corner of Kokerstraße.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit