Museum für Druckgeschichte und Buchherstellung
Working hands-on museum in a publishing printing house in Weilerswist, showing nearly 200 years of printing history and every step of book production.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museum für Druckgeschichte und Buchherstellung in Weilerswist is a museum you can touch: it is located in the premises of the publishing printing house Ralf Liebe, and its exhibits are still used for daily book production. The museum therefore deliberately does not see itself as a conventional museum, but as a workshop where work is actually done.
On just under 200 square meters, without display cases, barriers, or information boards, it shows all four printing processes and every work step of book production, according to its own information. The museum also aims to preserve knowledge of traditional techniques that were pushed out by technical progress over the last two centuries. The artistic printing techniques relief printing (Hochdruck), intaglio (Tiefdruck), planographic printing (Flachdruck), and stencil printing (Durchdruck) have been part of the nationwide German register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the German UNESCO Commission since March 2018.
The museum is run by the Verein Museum für Druckgeschichte und Buchherstellung e.V. Besides guided tours for groups and schools, it offers several-hour workshops on screen printing, intaglio, letterpress, hand typesetting, and bookbinding.
Highlights
- Working print shop with opportunities to print yourself
- All four printing processes and every step of book production
- Tours focusing on printing history, book production, printmaking, or publishing
- Workshops on screen printing, intaglio, letterpress, hand typesetting, and bookbinding
Permanent exhibition
- Druckgeschichte und Buchherstellung zum Anfassen – Working workshop that shows all four printing processes and every work step of book production on just under 200 square meters.
- Operated by
- Museum für Druckgeschichte und Buchherstellung e.V.
Admission & discounts
| Guided tour for groups and schools | €60from €60, duration 2 hours |
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| Workshop (beginners and advanced) | €500from €500 including materials, approx. 8 hours, 3–6 people |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Hands-on museum where you can print yourself; tours are adapted for kindergartens and school classes.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
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
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 2 hrs |
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| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Tours focusing on printing history, book production, printmaking, or publishing for kindergartens, school classes, and adult groups; workshops on screen printing, intaglio, letterpress, hand typesetting, and bookbinding. Inquiries via the contact form or by phone. |
