Museum Zinkhütter Hof

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The complex of buildings in Stolberg's Münsterbusch district was built in the 1830s as a glassworks of the Société de Charleroy and remained in operation until the 1850s. The production hall, workers' housing and administrative villa are a rare testimony to early industrialization. In 1904 the company later known as Stolberger Zink acquired the complex and used it for various purposes.

In 1991 the city of Stolberg bought the Zinkhütter Hof; with state funding it was converted into a museum and opened on September 20, 1996, as the Museum of Industrial, Economic and Social History of the Aachen Region. It is run by a friends' association, and the museum management is based in the former administrative villa.

The permanent exhibitions explore the history of Stolberg's materials: brass, produced here since Roman times from copper and the local calamine and which brought the region prosperity as “Stolberger Gold”, and zinc, which could only be extracted in pure form from the 18th century onward. Another section presents the Aachen needle industry with machines covering every step from wire to finished needle, while the exhibition “Turbo Traffic Transport” covers the region's vehicle and mobility history.

Outdoors there is a large flywheel, a VEGLA factory train and a memorial created in 2001 for the victims of National Socialism in Stolberg, which commemorates a nearby forced labor camp. Changing art and technology exhibitions, an experimentation workshop and events in the large furnace hall round out the program.

Highlights

• Brass exhibition “Das Stolberger Gold” (Stolberg Gold)
• Aachen needle production with historic machines
• Vehicles from the region's automotive history (“Turbo Traffic Transport”)
• Industrial monument of a glassworks from the 1830s
• Experimentation workshop and museum gnome Galminus for kids
• VEGLA factory train and memorial in the outdoor area

Permanent exhibitions

• Messing und Zink – The history of Stolberg's nonferrous metals from the Romans and the copper masters to zinc smelting, with products ranging from brass utensils to zinc tubs.
• Nadel – The Aachen needle industry with machines and tools showing every step from wire to the inspected needle.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Zinkhütter Hof e. V. (Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Museums)

Director

Sebastian Wenzler

Admission & discounts

The website does not specify who is eligible for reduced admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Experimentation workshop with hands-on stations for children and families; children's birthday parties (for example with a treasure map, ending in the wood workshop) and needle-making for children.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

Catering at events by the in-house caterer Kasino Kantinen Betrieb (Serkan Sistermanns).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 320 guests.

Furnace hall with gallery for 80–320 people (stage, concert grand piano), divisible glass deck for seminars and civil weddings, brass and wood workshop for workshops. Catering exclusively by the in-house caterer; viewings on weekdays 8:00–12:00 by appointment.

Plan your visit