Lehmmuseum Gnevsdorf

About the museum

The Lehmmuseum (clay museum) occupies a fieldstone barn from 1876, which the association FAL e. V. rebuilt in 1999 with a great deal of hands-on effort and little money. This was made possible by funds from the European LEADER programme, applied for in 1996, which amounted to just under 150,000 D-Mark. In this way, one of the typical fieldstone barns of the Plau Lake region was preserved and given a new use.

The museum grew out of the same association as the Wangeliner Garten and the Europäische Bildungsstätte für Lehmbau (European clay building education centre) in the neighboring village of Wangelin, and works closely with them. Since 2021 the sponsorship has been with the Europäische Bildungsstätte für Lehmbau Wangelin gGmbH; the house is largely run by volunteers.

The collection is devoted to the natural resource of clay: how it forms, how animals use it, clay as a building material with testing equipment and tools, and historical and modern clay building techniques. On display are, among other things, original parts of a Wellerhaus (wattle-and-daub house), documents from the clay building school founded in Güstrow in 1949, wall structures at 1:1 scale and sample plaster surfaces. According to the museum, it is probably the only museum of its kind in Europe.

Highlights

• Clay as a building material: historical and modern clay building techniques
• Original parts of a Wellerhaus (wattle-and-daub house)
• Wall structures at 1:1 scale and sample plaster surfaces
• Clay master builders of the animal world, such as a walk-in swallow’s nest
• Bakehouse with clay oven and baking demonstrations

Permanent exhibition

• Dauerausstellung Lehm – How clay forms and how it is used, historical and modern clay building techniques, testing equipment, wall models and sample plaster surfaces.

Operated by

Europäische Bildungsstätte für Lehmbau Wangelin gGmbH

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Children can try out being little clay builders; families are especially welcome on the activity days. At the Mecklenburg Clay Building Summer, clay to touch is available on the last Saturday of June, July and August.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Gnevsdorf on the Lehm+Backsteinstraße, south of Plau Lake. Postal address: Dorfstraße 27, 19395 Ganzlin OT Wangelin.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit