Museum Geißlerhaus

Local history and technology museum in the birthplace of the glassblower Heinrich Geißler in Neuhaus am Rennweg – currently accessible only by arrangement.

Ask the museum for opening hours

Directions

Limited operations. No regular museum operation: visits are currently possible only by prior arrangement with the Tourist Information office of Neuhaus am Rennweg. The town is looking for a new owner or operator for the building.

About the museum

Heinrich Geißler (1814–1879) was born in Neuhaus am Rennweg and, as a glassblower and instrument maker, became a pioneer of vacuum technology and electricity research. The low-pressure gas discharge tubes named after him formed a basis for later developments such as fluorescent and X-ray tubes; a mercury vacuum pump is also attributed to him.

His birthplace at Sonneberger Straße 106 in the Igelshieb district was built in the mid-18th century as a residence and workshop for a family of glassblowers, in the construction style typical of the Thuringian Slate Mountains with a half-hipped roof and a gabled dormer. A memorial plaque has commemorated Geißler since 1929. Around 1980, the town acquired the building, had it converted, and dedicated it as a local history museum on May 26, 1989, Geißler's 175th birthday. After another renovation starting in 2008, the redesigned building reopened in October 2010.

The exhibition is devoted to Geißler's life and work, including original tubes and tubes shown in operation, as well as glass and porcelain production, box making, and the forestry history of the region. In addition, there are works by Neuhaus glass designers such as Albin Schaedel and Kurt Wallstab. In 2025, the town sought a buyer or operator to bring the building back to life; there is currently no regular museum operation.

Highlights

18th-century birthplace of Heinrich Geißler
Original Geißler tubes and tubes shown in operation
Lampworked glass art by Albin Schaedel and Kurt Wallstab
Glass and porcelain production, box making, and forestry history

Permanent exhibitions

Heinrich Geißler – Leben und Werk – Exhibition in the birthplace of the tube pioneer with original Geißler tubes and tubes in operation, complemented by glass art by Neuhaus designers and topics from the regional glass and porcelain industry.