Industriemuseum Howaldtsche Metallgießerei
Shipyard foundry from 1884, preserved in its original state, in Kiel-Dietrichsdorf, with melting furnaces and casting demonstrations; open in the summer season, free admission.
About the museum
The Howaldtswerke trace their origins to an engineering works founded in 1838 by August Ferdinand Howaldt and Johann Schweffel as Kiel's first industrial enterprise. After Georg Howaldt founded a shipyard in Dietrichsdorf in 1876, the Howaldt brothers also moved the engineering works to the east bank of the Kiel Fjord around 1880. In 1889 the two businesses merged to form the Howaldtswerke.
The workshops were designed by Heinrich Moldenschardt, a leading architect of historicism in Schleswig-Holstein. Completed in 1884, the metal foundry with its patterned brick walls and round-arched windows had electric lighting from the very start. Until 1980, mainly bronze, lead, and brass parts for the shipyard's vessels were cast here. Work at the melting furnaces around the central chimney was hard and dangerous.
After World War II the shipyard gradually moved to Gaarden, and the Dietrichsdorf site was abandoned in 1983. Of Moldenschardt's buildings, only the metal foundry survived. It has been a listed monument since 1992 and was restored from 2003 to 2006, partly with funds from the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz (German Foundation for Monument Protection). A replica made of Corten steel replaces the lost chimney.
The industrial museum opened on International Museum Day 2007 and was initially run by a volunteer association. Since 2020 it has been part of the Kieler Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum. The workshop hall with its furnaces, workbenches, and tools is largely in its original state. Guided tours and casting demonstrations convey Kiel's industrial, shipbuilding, and labor history.
Highlights
- Oldest surviving building of Kiel's shipbuilding history (1884, architect Heinrich Moldenschardt)
- Largely original workshop hall with melting furnaces, workbenches, and tools
- Casting demonstrations and hands-on pewter casting workshops
- Small steam engine that is set in motion during guided tours
- Molding box, molding sand, and tools you can touch
Permanent exhibitions
- Werkhalle der Howaldtschen Metallgießerei – The foundry hall, preserved in its original state with melting furnaces, workbenches, and tools, presents some 100 years of shipyard and labor history on Kiel's east bank.
- Founded
- 2007
- Operated by
- Landeshauptstadt Kiel (Kieler Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Group tours with casting and casting workshops (about 1.5 hours, up to 25 people, workshop max. 10): €50 per group. |
Free admission. Public casting workshops are free; if you want to take home the pewter coin you cast, there is a €7 materials fee.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom: not available
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Accessible entrance. Because the building stands on a slope, both floors can be reached at ground level from outside; wheelchair users change floors via the sidewalk around the building (staff will open the door to the workshop hall, tel. 0431 901-3466). Inside, there is only a narrow staircase with a handrail on one side. No wheelchair-accessible restroom. Two accessible parking spaces in the public parking lot behind the building.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
Children are welcome but must be supervised in the workshop hall (sharp edges, heavy objects). Offerings such as the children's tour with casting and the casting workshop from age 8; no dedicated offerings for younger children; holiday pass during the summer and fall school breaks. Picture books and coloring supplies on the first floor.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Grenzstraße · 300 m
Bus 11 (direction Dietrichsdorf) or X60 (direction HAW Campus) to Grenzstraße; Schwentine ferry F2 from Reventloubrücke to the Dietrichsdorf landing, a few steps away.
By car
Free parking
Free public parking lot behind the building (access via Moorblöcken), including two accessible parking spaces directly at the entrance.
- Accessible parking
Bicycle parking only at the nearby Dietrichsdorf landing.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
No café; places to eat are 5–10 minutes on foot.
Events & venue rental
As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.
Not available for private parties, closed events, photo shoots, or filming.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Private photos allowed; only photograph other people and the staff with their consent. |
| Good to know | The workshop hall is unheated, with sharp edges and heavy objects: sturdy footwear recommended. Public themed tours approx. 1 hr; bookable group tours and casting workshop approx. 1.5 hrs. Casting demonstrations by registration at 0431 901-3466. Dogs other than assistance dogs are not allowed. |
