Museumsdorf Volksdorf

About the museum

In the early 1960s, several old buildings in Volksdorf's village center were threatened with demolition. To save them, dedicated citizens around Fritz Beyle and Otto Warnke founded the Heimatverein De Spieker in December 1962, which still runs the museum village on a volunteer basis today. The then still young open-air museum in Molfsee served as a model.

The oldest house is the Spiekerhus of 1624, which still stands in its original place. Between 1966 and 1976, replicas of the Wohldorf forge and the Hummelsbüttel grain mill were built. The Harderhof burned almost completely to the ground in 1967 after arson and was reopened two years later as a farm museum. In 1973 a drive-through barn relocated from Schnakenbek in the Lauenburg region was added, and in 1989 the reconstructed Wagnerhof.

Since about 2000 the association has relied on the concept of a living museum with craft days, markets, and museum education. After the city cut its funding in 2003, the Stiftung Museumsdorf Volksdorf, founded in 2007, secured the grounds and buildings in the long term; afterward the Spiekerhus and Wagnerhof were thoroughly renovated.

Today the village conveys rural life in the forest villages around 1900 – with a farm garden and vegetable garden, historic tools, and animals of old northern German breeds. The volunteer Spiekerlüüd also cultivate the Low German language.

Highlights

• Spiekerhus of 1624 at its original location
• Grain mill with horse-powered gear and historic forge
• Old livestock breeds such as draft horses, black-and-white lowland cattle, and Pomeranian landrace sheep
• Farm garden and vegetable garden with old varieties
• Craft and activity days, farmers' markets, and harvest festival
• Sunday village tour with a look inside the houses

Founded

1962

Operated by

De Spieker, Gesellschaft für Heimatpflege und Heimatforschung in den hamburgischen Walddörfern e.V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is charged on craft and activity days and at markets; association members then have free admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

The event hall in the Wagnerhof is at ground level and accessible, including the restroom.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and ducks of old breeds live on the farm. On craft and activity days there are children's games, and on Potato Day children may harvest potatoes themselves. For daycare centers, school classes, and children's groups there are hands-on activities about country life around 1900.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Kaffeehus and Emmis Krämerladen (Sat and Sun 13:00–17:00), regular bread sales. Open Wi-Fi "Museumsdorf Gast" across almost the entire grounds.

Events & venue rental

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

Up to 120 guests.

Hall in the Wagnerhof for celebrations, conferences, meetings, and exhibitions with projector and sound equipment; catering through partner companies. Civil wedding ceremonies (Standesamt Wandsbek) on six Fridays from June to September, non-denominational ceremonies in the Spiekerhus or Wagnerhof.

Plan your visit