Otto-Haesler-Museum
Museum in Celle’s Blumläger Feld housing estate: originally furnished micro-apartments and a laundry house show how people lived in Neues Bauen (New Building) architecture.
About the museum
The architect Otto Haesler (1880–1962) worked in Celle from 1906 to 1933, and his housing estates made him one of the most important exponents of Neues Bauen (New Building) in the Weimar Republic. The Blumläger Feld estate was built to his plans in 1930/31, with affordable micro-apartments for working-class families and a central laundry, bath, and heating house.
Because people interested in architecture kept coming to Celle, in 1989 the town began preparatory work for a documentation center in the barely used laundry house on the Galgenberg. In 1999, the town council established the Otto Haesler Stiftung, a foundation that looks after the architect’s work; the museum opened in 2001. For the Bauhaus centenary in 2019, it was modernized over several months.
On view are the 1931 laundry house with its original washtubs and, in the neighboring row of houses, several apartments showing different periods: a working-class apartment from 1930/31, preserved almost unchanged with its original furniture on 46 square meters, refugee accommodation from 1945, the makeshift lodging of a soldier returning from the war, and a working-class apartment from the 1950s. In addition, a Haesler cabinet and historic photographs provide information about the architect’s life and work.
Highlights
- Original Bauhaus-era workers’ apartment from 1930/31, 46 m²
- Laundry, bath, and heating house from 1931 with original washtubs
- Refugee accommodation from 1945 and makeshift apartment of a returning soldier
- Working-class apartment from the 1950s
- Starting point for the otto haesler Rundweg (trail) to other buildings in Celle
Permanent exhibitions
- Wohnen im Neuen Bauen: Kleinstwohnungen im Blumläger Feld – Originally furnished apartments from different decades and the laundry house show how working-class families lived in cramped quarters in Haesler’s housing estate.
- Founded
- 2001
- Operated by
- Otto Haesler Stiftung
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission for everyone. |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Guided tours by appointment (phone 05141 217487 or info@haeslerstiftung.de). |
No admission charge; donations welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
In the Blumläger Feld housing estate; according to Celle Tourismus, about 30 minutes by bus from Celle station.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The museum is a stop on the otto haesler Rundweg (trail) to other Haesler buildings in Celle (including Italienischer Garten, Georgsgarten, Altstädter Schule). |
