Ofenbauermuseum Gershasen
Museum of baking, local heritage and stove building in the Westerburg district of Gershasen, with a bread oven, stove builders' room and village parlor.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Gershasen in the Westerwald was for a long time a center of bread oven construction. The porous volcanic tuff from the pits around the village stores heat and releases it slowly, which is why it was ideal for the vaults of stone bread ovens. Local stove builders are documented from the early 19th century onward, and their commissions reached well beyond the region; around 1960 the last of them gave up the trade. The Ofenbauerstraße (Stove Builders' Street) in the village still recalls this tradition today.
The museum is housed in the Backes, built in 1949 as the village's shared bakehouse. The original stone bread oven still stands on the first floor and is still used regularly. The upper rooms have been freshly restored and show, across about 200 exhibits, kitchen equipment and household objects from past times, tools of local stove builders and farmers, and a village parlor with historic furnishings.
One separate area is devoted to the craft of stove builders. Photographs from the 1940s document how tuff stone was quarried in the neighboring pits and processed into bread oven stones. In this way, the small local history museum gives an impression of the hard work of housewives, farmers and stonemasons in the village.
Highlights
- Communal bakehouse with a stone bread oven still in use
- Stove builders' room with historic tools
- Village parlor with furnishings from earlier times
- About 200 exhibits on household, farming and crafts
- Photos of tuff stone quarrying from the 1940s
Permanent exhibitions
- Backes mit steinernem Backofen – On the first floor stands the village bread oven, which is still regularly used for baking.
- Ofenbauerstube – Tools and photographs show how tuff stone was broken and processed into bread oven stones.
- Dorfstube – Household items, kitchen equipment and furniture recall village daily life several generations ago.
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
The museum is located in the Westerburg district of Gershasen, on Ofenbauerstraße by the bakehouse.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Visits are accompanied by knowledgeable guides, arranged by phone. |
