Museum Geiserschmiede

About the museum

On the site of the Geiserschmiede there stood for at least three centuries a grinding mill driven by the Bühlot stream; the first mills are documented before 1550. In 1891 the mill was converted into a hammer forge. Until 1961 the brothers Eugen and Josef Geiser made tools there for agriculture and forestry in the region.

Afterwards the workshop lay dormant for more than thirty years, and the building threatened to decay. A small group of Bühlertal citizens restored and renovated the complex, including its technical equipment, in more than 7,500 volunteer hours, in order to preserve the last hammer forge in the village and make it work again.

Today the Geiserschmiede is a museum, largely run by volunteers. On the first floor the focus is on blacksmithing as well as family and house history; on the upper floor the exhibition “Bühlertal im Wandel der Zeit” (Bühlertal Through the Ages), on village history, has been on display since January 2019. Outdoors the tour includes a distilling hut for schnapps production, a museum garden with a bee house, and the water wheels.

Highlights

• Working hammer forge with water wheel
• Exhibition “Bühlertal im Wandel der Zeit” (Bühlertal Through the Ages)
• Distilling hut and museum garden with a bee house
• Forge demonstrations on event days
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Schmiedehandwerk, Familien- und Hausgeschichte – On the first floor the museum shows the workshop of the hammer forge and the history of the house and the Geiser family.
• Bühlertal im Wandel der Zeit – Partly chronological, partly thematic exhibition on village history on the upper floor, since January 2019.
• Brennhütte und Museumsgarten – The distilling hut recalls schnapps production in Bühlertal; the garden has plum trees and a bee house with a bee colony.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Guided tours for groups: €50 (60–90 min), with forge demonstration €75. Children's group offers €50; open courses €3 per child, materials included.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Foyer and restroom are accessible. The wedding room, forge workshop, water wheels, garden, bee house and distilling hut can only be reached via individual steps; the upper-floor exhibition is accessible only by staircase.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's ticket “Mit Dunni auf Tour” (ages 7–15) through village history, to see, touch, hear and smell. Courses for children and young people, also bookable as a children's birthday party (max. 10 children, 90 min).

Getting there & parking

The route to the museum is signposted in Bühlertal.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

The wedding room in the forge workshop is used for civil marriage ceremonies.

Plan your visit