Museum für Bergbau und Stadtgeschichte Obernkirchen
Museum in the former school building on Kirchplatz on the hard coal mining, glassworks, sandstone, and town history of Obernkirchen; admission free.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum presents Obernkirchen as the industrial heart of the Schaumburger Land. It is housed in a neoclassical former school building on Kirchplatz, across from the Gothic Stiftskirche St. Marien and the medieval monastery complex. The collection and exhibition focus on the roughly 500-year history of hard coal mining in the region, with its briquette factory, the Liethstollen mining district, and a brickworks.
Two glassworks settled as follow-on industries, relying on hard coal as their energy source; their roughly two-hundred-year history is also presented. In addition, there are the sandstone quarries on the Bückeberg, where Obernkirchen sandstone has been quarried for well over a thousand years, including the work in the quarry and in the stonemasons' workshops.
The town history section begins in the entrance area with a lapidarium of architectural spolia and sandstone finds, including the 15th-century Marienstein and a coat-of-arms stone that marks the beginning of organized hard coal mining. Especially worth seeing is the fully preserved Offizin (pharmacy workroom) of the privileged Apotheke Gebrüder Pape. The town of Obernkirchen is the sponsor, and the museum is run by the Verein Kulturfenster Obernkirchen. The museum includes two satellite sites: the historic Schlosserei Bornemann (locksmith's workshop), a technical monument from the early 19th century, and, since 2015, an exhibition on the Reifensteiner Verband and the Landfrauenschule (rural women's school) in the Stift Obernkirchen.
Highlights
- About 500 years of hard coal mining around Obernkirchen
- History of the two glassworks
- Obernkirchen sandstone and work in the quarry
- Lapidarium of architectural spolia in the entrance area
- Preserved Offizin of the Apotheke Gebrüder Pape
- Satellite site: historic Bornemann locksmith's workshop
Permanent exhibitions
- Bergbau, Glas und Sandstein – Hard coal mining with the briquette factory, Liethstollen mining district, and brickworks; the history of the glassworks; and the extraction and processing of Obernkirchen sandstone.
- Stadtgeschichte mit Lapidarium und Apotheke Pape – Architectural spolia made of sandstone tell of pilgrimage, Reformation, Renaissance, and mining, plus the preserved Offizin of the Baroque counter pharmacy Gebrüder Pape.
- Operated by
- Stadt Obernkirchen; Betreiber Kulturfenster Obernkirchen e.V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free; donations to the museum's collection box are welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum is in the middle of town on Kirchplatz, across from the Stiftskirche St. Marien.
Get directionsAmenities & 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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Thematic special tours (mining, sandstone, glassmaking, town history) and visits for school classes, birthdays, and senior groups by arrangement; combined city tour with museum visit through the Info-Galerie Obernkirchen. Pilgrim stamps (Pilgerweg Loccum–Volkenroda, Sigwardsweg) are available at the museum, and the Obernkirchen Sculpture Trail begins and ends at the museum. The key to the old Jewish cemetery in the Uhlebruch valley is available at the museum or at the Info-Galerie. |
