EMMA – Museumswohnung im Kavalierhaus Gifhorn
Unaltered apartment of Emma Wrede in a Renaissance townhouse from 1546 – a testimony to small-town domestic culture since the 1930s.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Kavalierhaus was built in 1546 for a senior court official and is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Gifhorn. Its stone Renaissance façade is unique among the town's townhouses; the castle and fortress master builder Michael Clare was involved in its construction. The vaulted cellar and the high attic, with a hoisting wheel for a goods lift installed around 1700, also date from the construction period. From 2008 to 2010 the heritage-listed building was comprehensively renovated; the house is run by the Bürgerstiftung Kavalierhaus.
Emma Wrede lived here for almost 70 years. After her death in 1997 her heirs bequeathed the house and its contents to the Gifhorn district. Her unchanged apartment forms the heart of the museum: six living rooms, an entrance hall, bathroom, kitchen, pantry and a cellar in which preserved fruit and vegetables are still stored. It shows how living, heating technology and self-sufficiency developed from the 1930s onward.
Behind the house extends one of the last surviving strip gardens (Streifengärten) in Gifhorn, which volunteer garden friends maintain. The apartment can be visited freely or with a guided tour; events take place in the hall on the ground floor.
Highlights
- Originally preserved apartment of Emma Wrede
- Renaissance townhouse of 1546 with vaulted cellar
- Strip garden behind the house
- Attic with goods-lift wheel from around 1700
- Readings and creative activities
Permanent exhibition
- Museumswohnung Emma Wrede – The original apartment with six living rooms, kitchen, cellar and strip garden shows bourgeois domestic culture since the 1930s.
- Operated by
- Museen des Landkreises Gifhorn (Gemeinnützige Bildungs- und Kultur GmbH)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2Young people aged 12 to 18, pupils and students with ID, holders of a Sozialpass (social pass) |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 11 · Children up to 11 years free; young people aged 12 to 18, €2. |
| Students & apprentices | €2Pupils and students with ID. |
| Families | €6 |
Members of the Museums- und Heimatverein Gifhorn e. V. have free admission.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 11 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €6 |
- Family tours & workshops
Offers for school classes, youth groups and children; family ticket €6.
Getting there & parking
The museum is located directly in Gifhorn's pedestrian zone, Steinweg 3.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The house lies directly in the pedestrian zone; there are numerous restaurants and cafés in the area.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The apartment can be visited freely or with a guided tour. Readings and creative activities take place regularly; there are separate offers for school classes, youth groups, children and other groups. |
